By Richard Watts, Times Colonist April 14, 2009
A new-age grocery store specializing in locally grown produce is opening on Pandora Avenue in a block notorious for junkies and shopping-cart hoboes. Scheduled to open in June, the store called Village Family Marketplace is undergoing renovation and reconstruction at 920 Pandora Ave. which is a storefront formerly occupied by a housepainting business. It's located across the street from Our Place, 919 Pandora Ave., a drop-in centre offering free meals and some shelter to the city's street people. But store owner, Cosmo Meens isn't put out in the least by what is happening outside his door.
"I'm not afraid of that scene." Meens said his new store is all about buying the right food for all the right reasons: A healthy body, a healthy community, a healthy economy and healthy agriculture. "What I have to offer is consciousness through food."
The food will be locally grown and organic and even the prepared deli items will feature ingredients that can be traced to local sources. Customers will know their money is going back to local farmers and local businesses operating in a downtown locale. For Meens, the store is about community and connectedness and that includes the neighbourhood with its street people. He notes too many people say they want social services and social programs but flinch when they are offered up in their backyard.
"Well, I want all those things and I'm OK with having them in my backyard. "I know I'm taking a risk on the location," said Meens. "But what I am really doing is calling the community out."
Meens, a 30-year-old father of two who started working in restaurants at the age of 12 as a dishwasher, is no stranger to opening up businesses in tough neighbourhoods. About five years ago, he opened Mo:Le Restaurant, specializing in local food, just down the road, at 554 Pandora Ave. It was an area about which he was cautioned because of the drug-fueled street life. Last year, right next door at 556 Pandora Ave., Meens opened Cafe Bliss, specializing in raw, vegan, organic cuisine. Both have proven successful not only as businesses but also as part of a rejuvenating streetlife.
Meens' willingness to invest himself, his business know-how and money in Victoria's downtown is already winning him notice and support at city hall. Coun. Charlayne Thornton-Joe said she was delighted when she heard of the new store opening up in that particular block of Pandora. She said the new business will complement the nearby deli on the same block and thought it would help create "a good mix" in an area known for its social services. "I welcome it, I think it's great," she said. "I'm definitely looking forward to going in there. "Hopefully, it will generate more openings."
rwatts@tc.canwest.com © Copyright (c) The Victoria Times Colonist
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