Neighbourhood welcomes cozy, new coffeehouse

Brock Peters at The Strong Badger Coffeehouse. /ANNE HAWE

If you’re wondering why the cool new coffee shop on Sargent Avenue at Toronto came to be called The Strong Badger Coffeehouse – there’s a story behind it.

Brock Peters, long time Winnipegger who owns and runs the café, was told from an early age that his name came from the Irish/Gaelic word broc or brocc meaning badger so why not…The Strong Badger Coffeehouse.

The scratched and cloudy Perspex front window hides the cozy, ambience inside. Wooden tables with mismatched chairs and a couch contribute to the cozy vibe.

The Strong Badger Coffeehouse provides some comfortable places to relax. /ANNE HAWE

Up until now there’s been a dearth of coffee shops in the West End. Sure, there’s the ubiquitous Timmies on Portage and there’s always McDonald’s in Walmart but further up Sargent was a dead zone. And what if you wanted more of a community feel to your local coffee shop?

The coffee here is roasted in Winkler by the third generation of roasters at family-run Other Brothers Roasters. If you’re a coffee lover like many of the locals who frequent The Strong Badger, the coffee has to be good and this is.

“The folks in the neighbourhood have welcomed me wholeheartedly with unanimous encouragement,” said Brock, and why not as his coffee shop adds so much to the area.

The Strong Badger Coffeehouse at the corner of Sargeant and Toronto.

The photographic exhibit currently up is part of Flash Festival and there’s an open mic every second Friday from 6-8 p.m.

Since The Strong Badger opened on August 2nd, business has been growing as people slowly realize there’s a new coffee shop in the hood.

Brock hopes to add more events in the near future and is always open to inquiries about holding them there.

Local musician Bram Adey recently stopped by to play a few tunes on the stage at The Strong Badger Coffeehouse:

“I love it here,” Brock says when I asked him why open a coffee shop and community hub on this corner in Winnipeg.

“I love that it’s a walk-able neighbourhood with lots of diversity. I wanted to do something important to me and combine my five years of customer service experience with McNally Robinson and my love for music and books.”

The menu at The Strong Badger Coffeehouse. /ANNE HAWE

During our conversation Brock mentioned he’d written a couple of novels. My jaw dropped.

I could see he had a small selection of shelved books to read or buy in the coffeehouse and we had discussed the differences between character driven fiction and plot driven fiction but…

So if you’re looking for a good cup of coffee in the West End and you want to discuss literature or music or just chill…check out The Strong Badger Coffeehouse at 679 Sargent Avenue. If you want more information about the events, check out their website or their Facebook page.

West End’s newest coffee shop prides itself on serving great coffee. /ANNE HAWE