It's time to say so long to "The Shack."
That's the nickname of the JJ Bean coffee stand located on the plaza outside CBC in downtown Vancouver (740 Hamilton St). It opened ahead of the 2010 Winter Olympics as a pop-up operation but kept going for 15 years.
More remote work meant fewer customers
JJ Bean owner John Neate shared in an online announcement earlier this month that more recently, "the location has not been busy enough to justify the renewal of the [lease] agreement," citing a shift in "downtown culture" as a result of the pandemic and "more remote work."
Local writer and CBC host Grant Lawrence shared his memories of "The Shack" in a heartfelt tribute on his Instagram.
"I can’t tell you the amount of meetings and meet ups I’ve had on that sunny patio, or how many chorizo breakfast wraps and chocolate chunk cookies that have fuelled me through otherwise exhausting syndication run interviews inside the CBC," Lawrence describes.
'The shack saved my life'
Vancouver-based musician Dan Mangan chimed in with a comment and witty memory of his own in the comments section of Lawrence's post: "Years ago, I was headed into CBC for an interview. Slammed an Americano from the shack. Went in and they were taking employees’ blood pressure and offered to take mine. It was sky high. Mostly because of the coffee, but it caused me to book a doctor’s appointment."
He continues: "Maybe if the shack hadn’t been there my blood pressure would have only been moderately high, and not high enough to scare me into cleaning up my act. What I’m getting at is… the shack saved my life."
Jokes aside, those who wish to have a final snack and coffee from the JJ Bean "shack" outside CBC only have a couple of days. The location's final day of business will be Friday, November 1.
JJ Bean has several other coffee shop locations in and around Vancouver, including downtown, where they operate at 1188 Alberni St; 1209 Bidwell St; 425 Dunsmuir St; 353 Burrard St (Marine Building); 609 Hornby St (Park Place); and at 402 Davie St (Yaletown). The chain's Gastown location closed in July 2023 after a 13-year run at the Woodward's redevelopment.
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