A Toronto resident has turned his house into a cafe where people can pay $9 for a “day-pass,” which includes unlimited wifi and craft drinks.
The Leslieville studio is adorned with round wooden tables, pastel second hand sofa chairs, fake and real plants, an electric guitar, and red printed signs of the cafe’s name- Cafe Club.
The cafe’s social media is filled with pictures of people laughing, typing on their laptops, and interviews of what brings them joy.
Creative entrepreneurs, local artists, musicians, remote office workers, and east-end adventurers have visited the home office away from home.
Owner AJ hopes to empower Torontonians to scale down their dreams and focus on investing their passions by focusing on “hyper local sharing.”
“The democratization of one’s lifestyle is what I’m trying to open peoples’ eyes to – the empowerment that can come by sharing your authenticity with the world.”
The space started off as a place for people who work remotely to gather in a comfortable, coworking environment, but now it’s expanded into being a chill spot for business brainstorming, DJ sessions, dance meetups, and art shows.
“I went there once and brainstormed [a] Valentines Day event that same evening with a new friend I met at the cafe,” marketing strategist and artist at Pan Dulce Mariella Melara told Now Toronto.
Though the commute is long from the west end, Melara was eager to visit the cafe she spotted on Instagram and hopes to propose more in-person events there.
AJ posted an Instagram video of him getting to know someone who came to Cafe Club for the first time.
“73% of Gen Z reported feeling loneliness sometimes or all the time. Loneliness can be as damaging as smoking 15 cigarettes a day,” his caption read.
Turns out that’s an accurate statistic attributed to a loneliness report by Cigna that came out during the pandemic.
Even a team of Brampton international students with a passion for videography came to utilize Cafe Club. Y2A3 Productions shot Toronto music artist Justin Birco’s single Crescent Moon there.
Putting on local artists is important to AJ, who believes you don’t need to be a “small business” or a self-proclaimed “entrepreneur” to share your gifts with the world.
The main floor of his house has been transformed with wall murals and designated sections for independent visual artists to showcase their work.
The Purple Hyena is one of those artists who believes in AJ’s model. Their first independent art showcase will be held at Cafe Club on April 5 at 7 p.m., featuring Love Catchoo, Dream Paint Art, Art by Kylay, and Gratian Art.
In addition to the co-working space, one of the floors of AJ’s house has been converted into a mini rock climbing gym.
Jumping from rubber rock to rock has helped him develop more ideas for Cafe Club’s future, such as how sharing with others can help make ones’ home a more fit place to be and inviting people to brainstorm on other creative ways to take advantage of his house’s middle floor.
