Krista MacFarlane will remember Brandi's Place as the small café that became a community.
MacFarlane helped manage the business that served as a safe, warm place for Nelson's unhoused residents during the winter. It provided coffee and small plates of food and customers weren't required to pay if they couldn't afford to.
Commerce, MacFarlane said, was never the point.
“We became a family, honestly. People depended on us, and it felt really good to help," she said.
"Just to put a smile on people's faces and give them a hot meal and a warm drink and be there for when they could depend on it if they needed to, to adjust to the cold. It was brutal out there, and people couldn't get into the shelter, the emergency beds at Stepping Stones shelter were full, and they came over to us. So it felt good to give them a place to be for the night.”
Brandi's Place, which opened Dec. 16 on Baker Street next to Hendryx St. Forest Garden Park, was closed for good on March 19. The business started with an expiration date of March 31, but a broken sewer pump in the building forced an earlier closure.
Brenton Raby, who owns the building the café was in, said there were also issues finding volunteers to cover overnight shifts as well as funding concerns.
“We had just decided there was a bunch of tensions, and all of it considered we were going to close. At the same time, we are going to try to entertain what could happen next.”
The café was created by Jonathan Allen, who added the business never would have happened without Raby offering up his location for free. Allen said Brandi's Place had a steady number of customers and showed a need in Nelson for a place unhoused residents can be 24-7 without having to buy their way in.
It was an endeavour that came together quickly, and in retrospect Allen said he thinks he could have done more to build and train a volunteer base before opening. But during the café's three-month run, Allen said the goals of keeping people fed, warm, and engaged were successful.
“It's really simple. It's not a big deal. It’s not something that's this crazy, huge endeavour. It's simplistic, and it works.”
For now, there's no plan to continue Brandi's Place elsewhere. MacFarlane said it could be revived as a mobile service, or in another form entirely.
Cameron Shlakoff was among the many volunteers who chipped in to run the café. He wants a permanent place in Nelson for unhoused people, as well as anyone with mental health or substance-use disorders.
“It's just doing what's right for the community. It's not radical. It's not anything other than being a decent human being.”
