LETTER: Owner is what made Cadboro Bay coffee shop special

What defined Cadboro Bay's "iconic" coffee shop was and always will be its owner, William. He was so much more than a business proprietor. He provided an island of tranquility, purposely without wifi connection, suffused with background music – classical, opera and jazz.

He was there for us continuously, seven days a week, even through the COVID crisis. His knowledge, especially of literature and art, was all-encompassing. For years, he hosted Olive Olio's after-hours book club of which I was very thankfully a member.



He knew his regular customers by name and, being a good listener, their life stories – current, past and glimpses of future hopes. All this and yet a very private person. The personification of what holds a community together.

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