For nearly a decade, our café at King St has been more than a place to grab a coffee – it’s been a home away from home, where friendships are made, stories shared, and community comes alive. Whether you’ve supported us as a customer, team member, or local supplier, we thank you deeply.

Today, we need your support.

We’re facing a critical challenge. Following 10 months of lease renewal discussions with our landlords – the City of Kingston and the Tett Centre for Creativity & Learning – we’ve been met with terms that threaten the survival of our café. Despite our willingness to compromise, key concerns have been dismissed, including a proposed rent increase that exceeds the Bank of Canada’s[1] healthy 2% inflation target.

Running a small café is harder than it looks. Costs are rising – supplies, wages, property taxes, insurance (which the City requires double the standard amount) and yet, our margins remain slim. We don’t turn tables like a typical restaurant. We provide unlimited Wi-Fi to all Tett visitors, even those who aren’t our customers, because that’s just what cafes do – we bring community together.

But we can't keep doing this alone.

Our Request:

1.     A 2% cap on annual rent increase, rather than the proposed 2.5% annually.

2.     Multi-year rent adjustment intervals (every 2 to 3 years), rather than annual hikes.

3.     Permission for visible street signage to help new customers find us and support sustainable growth.

We’re not just fighting for our café – we’re standing with all small businesses facing unsustainable terms & conditions. Let’s work together to keep Kingston a city where local business and community connection can thrive.

Some Background

The Tett Centre is a city-owned heritage building managed by the Tett Centre for Creativity & Learning, a non-profit with a mission to serve as an accessible, multi-use arts hub. According to  2023 financials[2], the art hub shows it relies heavily on tenant rent (63%) and government funding (31%), with only 2% of revenue coming from programming. While the Tett’s strategic plan[3] calls for diversifying revenue, it lacks clarity on how this will happen in a way that reduces pressure on tenants and taxpayers. More focus on programming, sponsorships, and memberships could ease the burden on small business and tenants who are working towards the same goals.

Juniper Café is proud to be the only for-profit business at the Tett Centre – and the only tenant required to pay property taxes on top of rent. But our role goes far beyond financial contributions. We are deeply committed to enriching Kingston’s cultural and community life. 

We regularly support the Tett Centre’s arts organizations through donations, sponsorships, and in-kind contributions like free or discounted food. Our café walls have featured local art for years, giving emerging artists a place to exhibit and sell their work. We’ve hosted workshops with local creatives, run family-friendly events like last year’s magic show, and helped fund Indigenous programming at the Tett Centre among other community initiatives. 

Our beautiful lakefront café is a gift – but remains hidden, and during off-peak hours or bad weather, foot traffic suffers.Municipal signage bylaws prohibit us from installing proper signage, further limiting our visibility and potential for growth.

We’re not asking for special treatment – we’re asking for a fair chance to continue doing what we do best: serving our community in meaningful, lasting ways.

Why This Matters

• Affordable Dining: A fair, sustainable rent model helps us keep prices accessible for everyone.
• Local Jobs & Wages: We employ over 30 Kingstonians. A 2% rent cap allows us to continue offering competitive wages and benefits.
• Preserving Kingston’s Culture: Local cafés and restaurants are vital to the city's character and economy. Supporting this cause keeps Kingston’s culture vibrant and unique.
• Economic Sustainability: In challenging economic times, small businesses need reasonable, inflation-aligned rent terms as opposed to compounding increases that push customers and businesses out.
  

Compounded increases in cost quickly push prices beyond what many customers can afford. We want to grow sustainably—without passing the cost onto you.

How You Can Help

• Sign Our Petition by June 1st: In person at any of our locations. We’re asking the City to adopt a more sustainable rent model for small businesses like ours with a maximum of 2% annual increase and with incremental adjustments that occur every few years vice annually. We are also asking for support to place a visible tasteful street sign to attract new customers.
• Spread the Word: Share our story with friends, family, and online. Every voice helps show that Kingston supports its small businesses.

We’re committed to Kingston for years to come, but we need your help to make that possible. With your support, we can ensure that small businesses continue to thrive, offering affordable, high-quality food & drink, and meaningful jobs with competitive wages for local people.

Thank you for standing with us.

With gratitude,

Raissa Sarkisian
Owner & Operator

[1] https://www.bankofcanada.ca/rates/indicators/key-variables/inflation-control-target/

https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/250121/dq250121b-eng.htm

https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/banque-bank-canada/FB12-7-26-2012-eng.pdf

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-inflation-bank-of-canada-two-per-cent-target/

[2] https://www.tettcentre.org/sites/default/files/files/2023YEAR%20IN%20REVIEW-compressed.pdf

[3] https://www.tettcentre.org/sites/default/files/files/TCCL%20Strategic%20Plan%20Full%20Version_2023-2028_0.pdf