After April 29, folks on the side Halifax side of the harbour will have to travel to get their Two If By Sea fix.
The cafe’s Waterfront Historic Properties location is set to close as its five-year lease comes to an end. Owner Zane Kelsall says it’s not going out of business, and he has plenty of other things on his plate.
“It felt like a good time to just close that chapter.”
The original TIBS on Ochterloney Street, having opened back in 2009, is still going strong. In fact, Kelsall says “last year was our busiest year that we’ve ever had.” Along with Anchored Coffee, it’s keeping him hard at work.
“It’s going to be nice to centralize our lives back in Dartmouth, mostly.”
The Halifax closure means the Anchored Espresso Bar & Toastery inside Pro Skateboards and Snowboards (6451 Quinpool Road) will have some slight changes to its menu: its baked goods come from the Halifax kitchen, Kelsall explains, but that will no longer be possible.
“There’s a company that’s just starting out—we’re excited to work with on baked goods for that location,” he says. “Hopefully we’ll get to do something new and fun there as well.”
Related Stories
Anchored Coffee: the toast of Quinpool
Two If By Sea opens second location
This article appears in Mar 23-29, 2017.
Businesses do not close as a result of a lease ending. What’s the real story?
Follow the money. Or lack thereof? Anyway, where will I get my football sized ‘croissant’ now?
Jacob, you need to step in here and use your special powers of investigation to uncover what I’m sure is a very dark truth…
This is a terrible idea. We stop there all the time. And there is always a lineup… the Dartmouth location is not even on the way to work for most people. Wtf are they thinking? Very dissapointed.
From the sounds of it they have their hands full at the place that is inconvenient for you.
I’m going to wager a guess and say the rent for that space in historic properties is probably over-inflated. The only seating areas are shared with Subway and poorly lit. And apart from Saint Lou’s and Gahan, that building is mostly empty. Where they may lose out, is during the peak tourism months of June/July, however, its unlikely that these months can cover the cost of an entire year.
Also, to the person complaining that the Dartmouth location is not on the way to work… I would argue that the Halifax location isn’t either. Unless you work in/near Purdy’s Wharf its unlikely you would ever walk through historic properties.
Definitely bummed about this! It’s a good stop for those on their way to work via the ferry. But if anyone is looking for good croissants this side of the harbour, The Old Apothecary has some killer ones! (Some days they are a bit bread-y but other days they are even better than TIBS)