Nanaimo's Buzz Coffee House reopens doors after homicide at business

The doors have reopened at Nanaimo’s Buzz Coffee House, six weeks after closing due to a killing at the Rutherford Road business.

On Feb. 12, Eric Kutzner was killed in what Nanaimo RCMP have called a random homicide, something that Const. Gary O’Brien said he has never seen before in the city.

The 79-year-old Kutzner worked at the coffee house with his grandson Philip Baker and daughter Francine Baker, the co-owners. Kutzner made baked goods, and was known for his muffins and almond croissants.

James Turok, 29, has been charged with second-degree murder, and Philip Baker said he hopes Turok gets the help he needs.

The first day back was Saturday, Philip Baker said.

“It overall went pretty well,” he said. “I didn’t make a huge scene about it because I didn’t want to put too much pressure on everybody.

“There were a lot of faces that I haven’t seen in awhile, which was nice.”

Opening again was something that had to be done, Baker said. “My grandfather and I put a lot work into the place last year,” he said. “It was a lot to walk away from, we had a lot of big plans and every time my friends or my co-workers and I went for coffee somewhere we would get that little bit of jealousy — like I could be doing this right now.”

Some of the staff has chosen not to return, Baker said.

“It’s kind of understandable,” he said. “It’s a pretty close group here so for a few of them it’s been really challenging.”

Baker said the community has been “amazing” in its response to what happened.

“They’re the reason that you get into this business,” he said. “They were a big motivating factor, too, messaging me all the time.”

Community encouragement was definitely part of the decision to get back to work, Baker said.

An opening ceremony featured a prayer from a Snuneymuxw elder, he said.

“It made us all feel a lot better about getting up and running.”

Kutzner did many things for others — his family called him “a vibrant member of society” — and in 2016 while living in Creston received the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award. The award was in recognition of restoring a property that housed and provided employment for people with developmental and physical disabilities.

He also served as director of the Woodgrove Senior Citizens Housing Society in Nanaimo.

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