A Family Haunt: A Mother & Daughter's Coffee Shop

Words by Emily Rzeznicki

I discovered The Brockton Haunt six years ago, while working as a line cook at a restaurant in the same neighbourhood. I was immediately charmed by co-owner and mother Kris, who upon making my drink, stated, “I don’t make drinks as well as my daughter Julie, but they’re still pretty good I think. Don’t tell her I said that if you see her, though.” When I bring this up at our interview, Julie laughs, and Kris scolds me but forgives me for doing exactly what I was told not to do.

It became a natural part of my going-to-work routine to grab a coffee there, and the shop quickly became my favourite café in Toronto. I began to get to know Julie and Kris, and every visit I felt more comfortable with them. I have sent them Christmas cards, brought them baked goods from jobs, and lent horror movies to Julie, and I once talked to Kris for two hours while she worked. These instances illustrate The Brockton Haunt’s most defining quality, which is to be truly connected to the community and an embodiment of its namesake: a haunt.

After moving to Toronto in 2011 from their hometown of Saskatoon, Julie and Kris began searching for the perfect area for their coffee shop. After discovering the current location, Kris researched the neighbourhood demographics and the competition. Kris says, “There were already a few coffee shops in the area, and there was one in particular that we felt would be our biggest competition, but we also didn’t let it intimidate us.”

Choosing the name came after finding the area. “Scouting around, we found out that it was called Brockton Village. My daughters [Julie is the youngest of three] had said to call it ‘the Haunt’ because it’s a popular term in Saskatchewan,” says Kris. Julie adds, “We had lots of ideas, but we wanted to incorporate the village name and came up with Brockton Haunt.” Kris says, “We love hearing people refer to us as ‘the Haunt’; we’ve become part of their vocabulary, and that is really cool.” It’s no surprise when Julie tells me that the comfort I felt with Kris is also shared by many of the Haunt’s other regulars. Julie boasts of her mom, “People have always felt compelled to talk to her; they see her as a safe person and [she] is able to have deep conversations that I don’t [have]. She is a neighbourhood mom.” Both tell me about being able to see each other’s personality reflected in their customer service. For Kris, it was a natural transition after having spent 10 years working as a social worker in Saskatoon. “You have to be a good listener as a social worker, and that is integral in this business as well. Two ethics come out in a coffee shop: listen and don’t give advice.” Both felt that owning a cafe would provide an opportunity for them to give the social experience they had missed out on at cafés in Saskatoon. Julie says, “I never got to experience being a regular at a coffee shop, but now I get to have that with my customers.” Also important for both women was to provide a quality product alongside a great customer experience. Kris adds, “Coffee was always a passion for us; back home we were always on a quest for good coffee. We wouldn’t serve a coffee that we don’t like ourselves.”

Part of the unique charm of The Brockton Haunt is that the shop reflects its owners, and while wanting to appeal to customers, they never sacrificing their own vision to do so. Julie says, “Building it was a combined effort; we either found everything together or physically built everything.” Kris chimes in, “Point to anything, and we made it. The bar,

the tabletops—that’s us.” This is an obvious point of pride for both. Kris continues, “Recent additions are more Julie, but she always runs it by me. I’ve slowly been handing over the reigns of creative decisions to her.” Julie says of her choices, “I wouldn’t choose something for the public unless I liked it. My tastes change and evolve, and I try to reflect that in the shop.” Operating a family business has its fair share of unique challenges. It can be tough to navigate between personal and professional relationships. At the same time, they get to see the other person as an individual separate from the title of daughter or mother. For Julie and Kris, navigating their partnership has never been a problem and they are grateful to learn more about each other. Kris says about her daughter, “I get to hear things about her from customers, and I have discovered that she is much more capable than I thought she was. I have been able to see her more as a professional, and my respect has grown.” When I ask what they think is the key to their ability to function as well as they do, Kris quickly says, “We just get along.” She laughs as she says, “I know that is a simple and possibly disappointing answer, but it’s true! We like each other.” Julie adds, “Our relationship always had a peer aspect to it; we’ve always been friends and equals.” They are not scared to disagree and have always operated under open communication. “I can say anything to her. I trust her decisions. We never stay angry at each other, and because we have similar personalities, we can still hang out outside of work despite being together all day,” Kris says. Their responses are directed to one another, and they smile and laugh, encouraging the other as they speak. Julie admits, “There is comfort working with my mom. I am protective of her and working together has brought that out more.” Kris says, “She knows that when I say I will do something, I will do it. She trusts me to pull my weight.” This sense of responsibility has remained constant in the past seven years, as Julie and Kris have shared the duty of working in the café, splitting each day between the two of them. However, their shifts are flexible, and they adapt well to the other’s needs and personal lives. “We figure out our shifts the night before, most of the time. Knowing each other’s personal schedule, we know who can do what,” says Julie. After seven successful years of business, they have turned their focus more toward the future, and the pair agree that it will be daughter Julie taking command of the business. Kris says, “Julie is currently in training to take over. I want to semi-retire and step away from the day to day. I didn’t think I would still be working at this age, to be honest, but seven years went by so fast.” After 10 years dedicated to social work, as well as three years operating her first business in Saskatoon—Urban Tan & Aesthetics, which focused on health and beauty—Kris has led a life dedicated to hard work and independence, displaying a strong entrepreneurial spirit. Kris says, “I come from a history of it; it’s what I have always known and wanted to do.” Despite her penchant for business, she is now ready to slow down, and she expresses excitement about seeing what Julie will accomplish with the business on her own. Julie’s attention will focus on further developing their social media and online presence, including the online store she recently set up in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but she admits that she too will need to step away slightly in order to do so. “When you physically work at the shop seven days a week, it’s hard to find the time to focus on anything else,” she says. Julie has always shown an interest in entrepreneurship, but she wasn’t sure how that interest would manifest. As she says, “If you told me 10

“IF YOU TOLD ME 10 YEARS AGO THAT I WAS GOING TO OWN A COFFEE SHOP IN TORONTO, I WOULD HAVE SAID YOU WERE CRAZY.”

from a history of it; it’s what I have always known and wanted to do.” Despite her penchant for business, she is now ready to slow down, and she expresses excitement about seeing what Julie will accomplish with the business on her own. Julie’s attention will focus on further developing their social media and online presence, including the online store she recently set up in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but she admits that she too will need to step away slightly in order to do so. “When you physically work at the shop seven days a week, it’s hard to find the time to focus on anything else,” she says. Julie has always shown an interest in entrepreneurship, but she wasn’t sure how that interest would manifest. As she says, “If you told me 10 years ago that I was going to own a coffee shop in Toronto, I would have said you were crazy.” But she is happy that this has been the result and is not afraid of taking over, especially knowing that she will always have her mom’s support—even if it’s from more of a distance. “I didn’t go to university, and my mom never forced that path on me; I always knew I would live an alternative lifestyle,” she continues, “I didn’t want a regular 9-to-5 job.” Kris chimes in, “I always knew that too of her.” Julie goes on, “I like being creative, and I like to work with my hands, which is why this job suites me.” Julie’s work ethic and creativity are further demonstrated in her side business, Gloria Goods, where she sells handmade leather work.

It has been a daunting and evolving road for the duo, but despite challenges, their mutual support is unwavering. Both exhibit passion and diligence toward their business, and customers reap the benefits. As mother and daughter and as business partners, they’ve learned from each other, pushed for the best from one another, and turned their dream into a reality.

THE BROCKTON HAUNT

1150 College St Toronto, Ontario