The lights are on and the coffee's hot at the newest business to open in the 900-block of Pandora Avenue, where drug use and camping have been common sights.
Cranberry's Coffee Cup opened yesterday at 916 Pandora Ave. with a healthy dose of optimism and freshly painted cranberry-coloured walls as part of its new decor.
Business owner Bert Higginbottom said she isn't worried about the social issues surrounding the area: "I don't think it is a challenge."
The street has been cleaned up in the past couple of months, she said.
Also, next-door neighbour Relish Food and Coffee is packing in customers. "I think we will complement each other," she said.
The 1864 brick building's storefront has been empty for a few years, since the previous Cranberry café closed.
Higginbottom decided to keep the name, tweaking it slightly, and redecorated and upgraded with the help of family and the building's owners.
Higginbottom owned a pub and cafe in the Kootenays for 13 years, moving here three years ago. She tried different work but was drawn back to restaurants.
"I like talking to people. I like cooking," she said.
Cranberry's offers a variety of baked goods. A muffin is $2, a 16-ounce coffee $2.25 and a bowl of soup $5. Cranberry's is open from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
Tony Matthews, building co-owner, said the property has been upgraded. He said he also has noticed improvements on the street and hopes they will continue.
cjwilson@timescolonist.com
