Famous Squamish Coffee Shop to Close
For 15 years rock climbers have been meeting up at The Zephyr Cafe in downtown Squamish
The Zephyr Cafe in Squamish is closing. Since 2008, it’s been a popular space for climbers to meet before heading out for a climb and after returning from their descent. The reason it’s closing is because the building was purchased and the new owner wants to make some changes.
Climbers and other Squamish locals are not happy about one of their community hubs being shuttered. Zephyr manager Amanda Desjardins broke the news on Facebook, saying, “The Zephyr Cafe will be closing permanently at the end of September. Our landlords have made little attempt to negotiate a reasonable rent increase for us to be able to stay on Cleveland Avenue, and have made it pretty clear we are not what their vision is for downtown Squamish.”
Desjardins said to her knowledge, Imagine Communities Together (ICT), the development company that purchased the building, intend to replace Zephyr with another retail store filled with mountain equipment and gear. Squamish already has one of the best climbing stores in North America with Climb On. “Zephyr Cafe is not just a place to get coffee and food. It is a place where everyone is welcome. Where people can work. Meet up with friends. Meet new friends. Meet new climbing partners… It creates a sense of familiarity. Squamish needs that. Squamish needs human engagement. Not more climbing ropes.”
Desjardins has started an online petition to stress the importance of social spaces in downtown Squamish. You can sign the petition here.
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