The Small Ritual Coffee Society – which won local and national media attention last year with an essay contest offering its White Rock coffee shop as the prize – has vacated its Johnston Road premises.
But according to Small Ritual manager Rydé Harding, the society has chosen a winner and is arranging to deliver equipment and help him plan a new coffee shop in another – as yet unspecified – location.
Harding told Peace Arch News in an email Tuesday that Dan Whillans is the winner of the contest and will be formally announced on the society’s website (smallritualcoffee.org) today (Wednesday).
Complicating the contest was the sale of the building leased by the coffee shop, concluded after the contest was announced last August.
On Feb. 22 – a week following the announcement of 10 finalists – a ‘for lease’ poster appeared in the window prompting speculation that the new property owner did not plan to honour the terms of the contest, which had offered the business to the essay winner, complete with an estimated $100,000 in equipment and improvements.
“Given the sale and uncertainty of the building, the society did not recommend the location under the clock tower as a solid long-term business venture,” Harding wrote. “We are waiting to clarify some terms with Dan… to connect and plan about his new café and how our team will train him over the next few months.”
In the confusion over the fate of the building, some contestants have been left wondering what became of the non-refundable $100 fees collected from them, along with their 200-word essays explaining why each should become the coffee-shop owner.
Harding wrote that the volunteer mentorship team will “take the essays from the contest and try to group like-minded people together and host some brainstorming sessions – some people might pair up to work on community projects or business ventures after being introduced.”
Meanwhile, Edward Tokarczyk, property manager for the new owner of the premises, confirmed the location is not being considered for the shop.
“The (previous) owners of the property had nothing to do with the contest and the Small Ritual Coffee Society, which was strictly a tenant, period,” Tokarczyk told PAN.
The society, originally a venture of members of Southpoint Church, was registered as a non-profit in 2009. Its aim, according to its website, was to build community as a means of contributing to health development and health sustainability.
A Southpoint Church spokesperson said Tuesday that the coffee society is no longer directly affiliated with the church.