Tucked into the corner of Oxford and Coburg, Tart & Soul Café has long been a fixture in Halifax’s south end — known as much for its giant cinnamon buns and ethically-sourced coffee as for its cozy atmosphere, cross-stitched David Bowie, and famously eclectic playlists.
Tart & Soul is a safe and welcoming space for many in the community. Now, the beloved café is asking for the community’s help.
Owners Saf Haq and Lisa Brow launched a $45,000 Indiegogo fundraising campaign on June 15 to finance a downsize of the business.
“It’s not easy for a for-profit business to ask for help,” says Brow. “But we really believed the community would show up for us, and they have.”
Haq and Brow opened Tart & Soul in 2017 after meeting at baking school in 2013. Their shared vision was to create a café that was more than a business. It would be a welcoming space for students, artists, families, and anyone looking for comfort, community, or incredible from-scratch baked goods.
In March 2020, they tripled the café’s size, expanding to nearly 3,000 square feet in hopes of growing their reach. Days later, COVID-19 shut down much of the economy, and Tart & Soul, like so many other small businesses, entered crisis mode.
“No matter what we tried — subscription pie clubs, weekend hours, meal prep, we just couldn’t make it sustainable,” Brow says.
After years of trying to keep the expanded space going, the pair decided that returning to their original footprint was the only way forward. “It’s not about giving up. It’s about creating efficiency in the business,” says Haq. “We realized that downsizing was our way forward, but we need support to make it happen.”
The campaign’s success so far has been a relief and a testament, the owners say, to the relationship Tart & Soul has built with its customers.
“People have told us this café is their safe space,” says Brow. “It’s where they studied, where they came after a bad day, where they met their friends. That means everything to us.”
Haq emphasizes that while the physical space will shrink, the spirit of Tart & Soul will not.
“It’ll still be the same vibe. Same wild art, same unhinged playlists,” Brow says. “We might be reducing our square footage, but we’ll never stop holding space for the people who need it most.”
The campaign is live on Indiegogo, where contributors can donate and receive rewards, including baked goods, merch, and custom art, in return for a contribution.
“We just want to keep doing what we do,” says Brow. “And it looks like this community wants that too.”
To learn more or support Tart & Soul’s campaign, visit:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/help-us-build-a-future-for-tart-soul-cafe#/
This article appears in Jul 1-31, 2025.