We’re guessing Christopher Webb and Victoria Foulger weren’t using their library voices yesterday when a unanimous decision from council awarded their Herring Cove treasure, Pavia Gallery – Espresso Bar & Cafe (997 Herring Cove Road), the tender to be the new almighty library’s onsite cafe.
For the past three years Pavia’s been a sweet spot for contemporary and local fine art, Italian espresso, baked goods and light lunches. After bidding on the library tender on the recommendation of some regulars the Euro-style spot beat out Second Cup and Uncommon Grounds to set up not one, but two locations in the Halifax Central Library.
“You see a lot of downtown businesses expand outwards, this is interesting because we’re moving into downtown,” says Webb of the announcement. “From the beginning we wanted to be special regardless of where we were. We wanted quality to be good regardless, we wanted the difference to be worth the distance.”
Webb says the library Pavias will zero in on the espresso and snacks side of the business, leaving Herring Cove as the hub for art. The satellite cafes will even open up the potential for an expansion of the gallery over the next couple of years.
Setting up shop in the Central Library also means almost tripling Pavia’s staff, expanding on the charity giving the team already does and having big, beautiful venue to host its regular artist panel discussions.
“We’ve been doing this for three years every day. You say to your friends ‘we’re going to open this cool European espresso bar and art gallery in Herring Cove’…you can imagine what they said,” laughs Webb. “This is an affirmation of it. We’ve been really embraced by people, and not a particular kind of person.”
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This article appears in Apr 10-16, 2014.
That is fantastic news. As one of the coveted “young professionals” the city is so bananas about, I want enjoy the new library as a space to work. Now I won’t want to leave.
How would Second Cup or Uncommon Grounds ‘make you want to leave’ ? Their barristas don’t register high enough on the artyfarty scale?
Isn’t Uncommon Grounds one of those ‘local’ things that The Coast has a wet one for? Whats the problem? They too big for your britches?
Anyway, can’t wait to see how The Coast works this into their theme of everything bad. Or maybe they won’t, maybe because of the artyfarty local small footprint of Pavia they will weave it into the ‘these folks are ok in our books’ milieu.
I agree, it is good news. I haven’t been in a second cup in probably 10 years. Pavia looks cool but a little out of the way.
when does the library get a mcdonalds?
Here comes expensive coffee, eats and slow service.
Nice to know they will make a profit on the subsidised rent in that ugly eyesore that our tax dollars have paid for! And “charity giving from the team” sounds like shaking down cash from their minimum wage staff for some bogus charity they may or may not agree with. And then what? Bringing in temporary foreign workers to staff the joint?! Libraries that care about preserving their resources DO NOT have food or drink inside!
It attracts vermin that is destructive to materials.
Which they don’t have by the sound of it because they have no books!