Good start for Good Earth
Denise and Kingsley Grant say they’ve been “overwhelmed” with customer response to their Good Earth Coffeehouse since opening at Uptown last month. “We have lineups from the counter to the door mostly everyday, but our wonderful team serves everyone very quickly,” said Denise Grant, adding customers are quickly warming to fresh breakfast and lunch menus, direct trade coffee and a dinner menu with drinks and tapas.
The Grants moved to Victoria after selling their Ontario-based internet business. With a history of customer service, a love of coffee and Kingsley’s chef training, they decided that a Good Earth franchise was the right fit. Good Earth has 35 locations in Western Canada.
The Grants have hired 16 full- and part-time staff to help them run the 66-seat coffeehouse and patio. The menu offers food that’s freshly baked and prepared on site. Some of the most popular items include steel-cut oatmeal, mac and cheese, soups, gluten-free items and southwest bake.
Good Earth is staging a grand opening all day Jan. 17 with free coffee, baked samples and a contest to win a gift basket. It’s open weekdays from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., and weekends from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Grants plan to host live musicians on Fridays in the near future and, beginning in February, offer a catering menu with breakfast, lunch, dessert and snack trays.
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Coho out for maintenance
Black Ball Ferry Line’s MV Coho will be taken out of service for its annual maintenance and refurbishment from Jan. 21 to Feb. 6. The ferry’s last service is Jan. 20, sailing at 8:20 a.m. from Port Angeles and at 10:30 a.m. from Victoria. Service will resume Feb. 7 when the Coho departs Port Angeles at 8:20 a.m. The Coho offers year-round passenger and vehicle service between Port Angeles, Washington and downtown Victoria. During more than half century of service, the Coho has transported 22 million passengers and six million vehicles. The ferry transports 400,000 passengers and 120,000 vehicles a year.
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Piano specialist joins Tom Lee
Debbie Hartz has joined Tom Lee Music at Millstream Shopping Centre as a piano sales consultant. Hartz has a long history with music and will be selling some of the world’s finest names in pianos, including Yamaha, the official acoustic piano of The Royal Conservatory of Music; Schimmel Pianos; Petrof Pianos; Boston and Essex and Steinway & Sons. She can be reached at 250-383-5222.
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