On February 19, a curt, bleak message was posted on The Pie Shoppe's Instagram feed, accompanying a photo of firefighters in the Vancouver street: "The Pie Shoppe will be closed until further notice."
A fire on the roof of the building had led to serious damage--most notably, owners (and sisters) Stephanie and Andrea French later explained--from the water the firefighters used to put out the blaze at the Powell Street location.
The situation was so dire, The Pie Shoppe called it a "gong show" kind of mess. Definitely not good for running a pie cafe.
The Pie Shoppe was started several years ago by the French sisters, taking root at first in a 300-square-foot space in Chinatown they called a "cubbyhole operation." The duo sliced up some loyal fans and continued success, and were able to move into more roomier digs in East Vancouver at 1875 Powell Street.
Flanked by popular spots like Bistro Wagon Rouge and newcomer Aleph Eatery, along with the unsung hero spot Trans Am restaurant, The Pie Shoppe has continued to draw fans for their handmade, high-quality pies.
And so pies it is that is helping the French Sisters get the Pie Shoppe up and running again. They launched a Go Fund Me campaign anchored on the notion of "buying future pies" to bring in some much-needed money to make the necessary repairs.
The Pie Shoppe hit their $10,000 goal in a day, but the ovens aren't quite open for business again.
"We love every one of you so much, are endlessly grateful for your support and can't wait to get back to business as usual as soon as freakin' possible!" say the sisters on their Go Fund Me page.
You can still pitch in and buy some "future pies" via Go Fund Me, and help #savethepieshoppe and support some hardworking local businesswomen...and their rad PIES.
