Two Kindred spirits open new independent café in downtown Lindsay

It takes a little imagination now, but Lindsay will soon have a new independent café – Kindred — just a step away from where Boiling Over’s Coffee Vault used to be.

And while Boiling Over was a big loss to the community for anyone who wanted a non-Tim Horton’s café experience, Victoria Jessup and Dara Bergeron aim to fill the caffeine void before the end of the summer.

The two Lindsay women leased the old Furio Gifts location at 142 Kent St. W and are in the midst of transforming it into a modern, comfortable coffee bar with higher end coffees and other specialty drinks, including some food items.

“Over here there’ll be a couch, chairs, rug, neon sign, and comfortable seating,” says Jessup, 32, pointing out how the new café will be laid out.

The owners say they envision people coming out with their laptops to work, friends getting together, and informal meetings happenings. To that end, they’re going to install a wide variety of seating and observe what seems to be needed once they see the business in action.

Bergeron, 41, says she feels “the town is lacking spaces for entrepreneurs, and people who work independently without the pressure to consume a whole meal.”

“It’s a gathering space. While millennials and Gen Zed might be the target market, “we want to be inclusive,” adds Bergeron.

“We’re going for the consumer who is just not satisfied with a Tim Hortons coffee,” Bergeron says. It’s for someone where a quality cup is an important part of their life. “It’s a little bit of luxury without having to do a $200 dinner out. Just to escape for an hour or two.”

Jessup said it was amazing that Leanna Segura of North Ward Coffee reached out to offer support for the two new entrepreneurs.

“It’s nice we can support each other. We’re doing similar enough things but in different ways,” says Jessup.

One of those different ways will be to offer longer hours for patrons.

“The day doesn’t’ end at 5 o’clock but if you walk downtown you’d think it does,” says Bergeron. “For parents and entrepreneurs (evening) might be the only time they have to get out.”

The two women will hire a small team to start and gauge what’s needed as each week unfolds. They’re also in the process of trying to determine what specialty drinks they’ll have on offer, aside from a robust coffee selection.

“The consumers we hope to get are not getting these drinks elsewhere in the downtown,” Bergeron says.

With permits being worked on, a cement bar being poured, and painted signage commissioned by a local artist happening, Kindred has a lot of moving parts right now.

Bergeron and Jessup felt the word kindred was perfect for their business. After all, it started only because their daughters became friends so quickly. So whether evoking the kindred spirits saying or just symbolizing warmth and hospitality in general, this new independent café will soon be sharing that vision in Lindsay’s downtown.