By Drew Davidson
Chris Aldcroft wanted to bring a different kind of coffee shop to Centretown.
He says instead of buying a java and “staring at your foot,” his Starving Artist Stone Carving Studio on Somerset Street allows customers to admire artwork and share ideas over a cup of coffee.
“I would like a place where I can just do my own work and I could show works by other artists and patrons,” Aldcroft says.
Aldcroft, a soapstone carver of 30 years, says he has received positive feedback from customers since opening in early November.
However, he says most people think they cannot interrupt his work, and they don’t venture inside.
Peter Honeywell, executive director of the Council for the Arts in Ottawa, says new artists can overcome this challenge through networking.
“It’s a matter of making connections in the community and making connections with a potential market,” he says. “It takes a lot of effort to get out and get your work known.”
This is Aldcroft’s reason for serving coffee. He says coffee is how he supports himself and how he attracts customers into the store.
Once inside, Aldcroft says people will find more than what a regular coffee shop can provide.
Aldcroft says he wants his business to resemble the atmosphere of the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris.
The Fair featured the works of artists admired by Aldcroft, like Auguste Rodin and Claude Monet. There, the artists discussed each other’s work and learned new techniques.
“[The Fair] was kind of like a big coffee shop where people threw out ideas and art evolved,” says Aldcroft. “They hit the nail on the head. They really understood.”
The Roasted Cherry Coffee House, on O’Connor Street and Slater Street, has a similar business plan.
Operated by youth learning to manage a business, students come up with designs for the coffee house.
Rob Tripp is the executive director of New Beginnings for Youth, the charity that owns the Roasted Cherry. He says one student came up with the idea to sell art.
“It’s a good concept,” says Tripp. “Having art in the coffee shop makes it fun for people.”
Aldcroft used this concept while working from his studio in the Rocky Mountains of Clearwater County, Alberta. There, he attracted local students and got artists to discuss their work with each other.
Aldcroft lost this former studio in a fire.
Rather than rebuild, he moved to Ottawa to be closer to his mother and sister.
He chose Centretown after spending time in a coffee shop that is now his studio.
Although Ottawa is a big change from the mountains, Aldcroft says the city has been treating him well — especially the other Centretown businesses.
Roongnapha Getty owns Hot Peppers Expressive Thai Cuisine, a restaurant across the street from Aldcroft. Aldcroft says she often brings him leftovers.
“He’s a nice man,” says Getty. “I was just being kind and neighbourly.”
This kindness is another thing Aldcroft says brought him to Centretown. He says the atmosphere is unlike that of other communities.
“I know how big and ugly cities are and I’m not fond of them,” he says.
“But, coming down here was so different. There’s just so much culture and I just love this neighbourhood.”
But despite the warm welcomes, Aldcroft says that as the weather gets colder, fewer people venture out of doors, which makes it harder for him to attract customers.
But he says that as his studio evolves, his Centretown location will continue to grow-just like his old Rocky Mountain studio did.
“I was 250 miles outside Calgary and I’d have rooms full of people just to work on their stuff,” he says. “The studio always develops into a big coffee shop.”