Two of Vancouver's biggest obsessions-coffee and cycling-have been combined for the first time with the launch of a new caf tucked away in a back alley off Hornby Street.
While many businesses complained about the nearby bike lane since it was built in late 2010, Musette Caffe is banking on the daily commuters whizzing by to stop in and grab a coffee.
"There's a huge cycling community and a huge coffee community in this city and nobody has put the two together, so I thought I might as well be the first," said owner Thomas Eleizegui who opened the shop March 1.
Eleizegui, 43, hopes the city's first cycling-orientated coffee shop will be a hangout for every type of cyclist from the hardcore bike courier to the casual weekend rider. The caf's location in an alley is a bonus for cyclists, Eleizegui said.
"To me, being in an alley, there's not many cars or [pedestrians] here. If you're with a group of cyclists, you're not blocking the sidewalk, so it's an easy place to congregate," he said.
Eleizegui is a veteran in the fashion industry and has the place decked out with vintage furniture, cycling memorabilia, wool jerseys and a cycling Lego set. The space also includes spots for a dozen bikes to park and will eventually include spare bike locks for outdoor parking that will be monitored by a surveillance camera.
Eleizegui, who fell in love with cycling growing up in Italy, said he supplies bike pumps and basic supplies for cyclists to repair flat tires. He has plans to bring a mechanic in on weekends to help riders with minor repairs.
Noting that most bars and cafes in Vancouver show hockey games, Eleizegui has installed two giant TVs to show cycling races on a regular basis such as the Giro d'Italia.
Eleizegui said the response has been positive with the place filling up on weekends. He believes the caf will only gain in popularity as summer approaches.
Cycling enthusiast Simon Lavoie, 29, said he heard about the cafe over Twitter just after it opened and has been coming almost every day since.
"I think it's a great idea," said Lavoie, an online marketer who uses his mountain bike to get around the city. "Cycling and coffee shops are two great things, so why not put them together."
Eleizegui said he purposely chose the caf's unique name to draw in non-cycling customers as well. A musette, according to Eleizegui, is a small grab bag for passing high calorie snacks to cyclists during a race. Rows of the cotton tote bags are also displayed on the caf walls.
"I wanted to keep the name of the caf vague so people_ are sort of curious and drop in," Eleizegui said. "And then hopefully I can win them over with a warm cup of coffee."
