Vancouver cafe struggles to stay open, appeals to community for help

A popular Vancouver cafe is struggling to remain in business due to pandemic-related debt, inflation, and family challenges.

Sheryl Matthew, the owner of Finch’s Tea House in downtown Vancouver and Finch’s Market in Strathcona, said she’s looking to pay off $90,000 in debt. After exhausting all her options, Matthew launched a GoFundMe to see if the community could help with the growing bills.

“It’s just hard to manage,” she said. “Costs have gone up and the customer base is down, especially in downtown Vancouver. It’s just hard to make the numbers work.”

Matthew started Finch’s in 2004 with savings she had put aside through her teaching job. She said she built the place with the intention of wanting it to feel like a unique cafe experience for patrons.

“It feels like we’ve fed maybe half of Vancouver,” she said.

RESTAURANT INDUSTRY STRUGGLING

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Matthew said it’s been increasingly challenging to keep the two businesses afloat. With rising inflation, her two children undergoing serious health complications, and repeated vandalism – she said the debt has only continued to grow.

“There’s been more broken windows downtown and graffiti in Strathcona,” she said, adding she’s had to fix nine smashed windows in the last few years.

What’s happening at Finch’s isn’t unique. Ian Tostenson, the president of the British Columbia Restaurant and Food Services Association, anticipates the industry will contract over the next two quarters and then stabilize.

“Finch’s exemplifies what’s going on in the industry in the broader sense,” he said.

According to Emily Boston, a policy analyst with The Canadian Federation of Independent Business, the average small business is carrying around $100,000 of debt.

“That’s putting them in a position where they’re having to turn to alternate methods, including things like crowdfunding, to be able to get through this rocky period,” Boston said.

Matthew said if she can pay off her debt, she’ll be able to stay in business, and continue to feed those who walk through her doors.