'It wasn't just a café, it was a home': East Vancouver mourns loss of community hub
Residents of East Vancouver are lamenting the sudden closure of Café Deux Soleils, an iconic restaurant and performance venue that has been beloved by locals for decades.
The 98-seat diner, which opened on Commercial Drive 28 years ago, is known for regularly hosting open-mic nights, comedy shows, drag performances and poetry slams.
“It has been a privilege to serve the community for almost 30 years,” reads a message posted on Tuesday, Oct. 4, to Café Deux Soleils’ social media channels. Messages of gratitude are filling the business’ feeds from both local regulars and out-of-towners.
The closure comes 10 months after Restaurant Business Broker revealed the restaurant was for sale. Café Deux Soleils came with a price tag of $299,000, and the listing reveals it was sold on Sept. 2.
Vancouver Poetry House has hosted weekly poetry slams at the venue since 1996, and the artistic director says he didn’t see the immediate closure coming.
“When the notice of sale went up, there was still hope Café Deux would be revitalized,” says Johnny D. Trinh, who started performing there in 2013. For years, he remembers people lining down the street and up the block for a chance to attend one of the poetry slams.
"It’s a loss for the city of Vancouver. There is a shortage of spaces for live performance, open-mics and community centres performances…We don’t know where else we will go to perform or to honour a program like this that is so supportive of the community,” Trinh says.
A photo posted to Café Deux Soleils' social media channels shows the restaurant's years of operation. On Oct. 4, 2022, the beloved diner and performance venue announced its immediate closure, shocking regular patrons and local artists.
For Daniel Chai, the co-founder of local improv comedy troupe The Fictionals, the news came as a shock.
“When we performed Friday night, we had no idea this was going to happen just days later,” says Chai, whose group has held weekly performances at Café Deux Soleils since 2010.
Chai remembers the cafe as a space open to everyone—From young families enjoying brunch, to emerging artists looking for a place to hone their skills.
“It wasn’t just a cafe, it was a home,” says Chai. “We’re grieving this loss of a performance space and community hub and taking time to remember before we figure out exactly where we’re going next.”
At the time of writing, the owners of Café Deux Soleils have not responded to CTV News’ requests for comment.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.