Thanks to Renata for pointing us to this story from the Toronto Life website…
Leslieville’s Red Rocket Coffee has been forced to close up shop after its landlord doubled the rent to $49 per square foot. Co-owner Liako Dertilas says the response from his regulars has been immediate. “The TTC guys across the street are livid,” he told us, referring to the workers at the nearby streetcar yard. The news, however, isn’t all bad. Along with his business partners, Dertilis signed a lease late this afternoon for a new location at 1364 Danforth Avenue, near Coxwell. Although Red Rocket’s new home will be a similar size, Dertilas says it won’t be the same. “We have to leave our extended family—that is, our customers,” he said. “These are the people who come into the store, and we hug them… We feel like we’ve been robbed of that.” The Wellesley Street location is unaffected.
I’m sorry for the Leslieville customers, but seriously thrilled for us! Can’t ever have too many excellent coffee places. I heart Red Rocket Cafe
We will welcome you with open arms! Thanks for taking a leap of faith!
I believe they will be in the Ten Feet Tall location. Leslieville’s loss is our gain!
I actually think it’s where Niche, and then Three’s Company Two were.
Oh thanks. I will seek them out when they are up and running.
Isn’t Three’s Company Two still around?
Confirmed via Google street view, the Red Rocket is moving to the Niche location……so overall for the neighbourhood no net change for coffee shops. I have heard really good things about the RR.
Exciting news!!! Any idea when they will open?
I’m excited about RR, and also sad about losing Three’s Company Two…! This is a very interesting strip. It’s amazing how some of the best Ethiopian restaurants in the city co-exist with the french bakery, The S.P.A.C.E, the ‘cool east market’, a bunch of wonderful Moroccan cafes and fabulous shisha shops, the Sudanese Cultural Association, an Ethiopian community organizing office space, a homeopathy centre and so on. It’s a kind of pluralistic gentrification, and I hope it doesn’t lose its ethnic diversity, because it makes it far more special than other main strips. Some of these places can be invisible sometimes because they are off the beaten track for most people–but its really worth trying a shisha place at night instead of a bar :)
On a different note (but roughly across the street from Red Rocket’s new home)… my husband and I had dinner at D’jerba La Douce last week and learned that the original owner has sold the business and moved to Morocco. The new owner’s plan is to retain most of D’jerba’s signature dishes and affordable prices, while expanding the menu with other offerings. Plus they are open for lunch. Our meal was wonderful–we had the trout with cumin sauce and roast vegetables and a merguez platter. Like D’jerba, the atmosphere is warm and friendly. The name is changing to Taste of Tunisia. 1475 Danforth, 2 blocks west of Coxwell. And don’t miss the mint tea!