The Junction: It's not just about coffee, it's about community

As the village of St. Davids continues to expand, so too does the popular Junction Coffee Bar, which has just celebrated its first anniversary. And as a result of its success, it has recently completed an expansion for much-needed additional space.

Although clients come from all over Niagara, many of them are aware of The Junction's reputation from their Fonthill coffee shop, and visitors are often also welcomed from further afield, here to visit the area.

However the owners, Tammy and David Martin and their daughter Katie Galvin, are focused on creating a space for the community. "We wanted to have something for the locals,” says Tammy.

And judging by the thriving community hub where locals are choosing to gather, they are achieving their goal.

The small strip of commercial property facing York Road at Four Mile Creek Road originally had four businesses, and is part of a development that includes some townhomes behind it.

The patio along the front of the coffee shop, facing York Road, is a big draw at this time of year, and the hours have been extended to 8 p.m. Monday to Thursday, and Friday, Saturday and Sunday to 6 p.m., to accommodate those who wish to stop by later on a beautiful summer day, says Tammy. However, it soon became obvious more space was needed for the winter, and days when the weather dictates a move indoors, she says, so when they had the opportunity to take over the space next door, they sealed the deal, closed over Easter weekend and completed the expansion. 

“It was perfect timing — it just came along at the right time,” says Tammy. The growth that has occurred since they first opened in St. Davids in May, 2023, she added, “is unbelievable.”

It was just a year ago Tammy, David and Katie, born and raised in Fonthill, celebrated their first anniversary of taking over an existing coffee shop in Pelham, where they have also created an ambience that has proven to be popular with the locals.

In St. Davids, some of the staff split their time between the two locations, but several live in the nearby neighbourhoods, says Tammy, as she points in a couple of directions along York Road. She is doing everything she can to live up to The Junction slogan: Where coffee meets community.

Is this the start of a chain of coffee shops across Niagara? Tammy chose Niagara-on-the-Lake as her second location because it has always been somewhere she loves to visit. She says David is already talking about "a next one," but she shakes her head. At least not yet. “We’d like to get settled here in the community first,” she says, but then laughs when she adds, “we might though, one day, if it’s the right time and place.”

At the moment she's focusing on a busy second year, and in addition to their much-loved baked goods and coffee, to changing things up a bit. “We’re bringing in gelato for the summer. We’re getting to know our locations, what the community wants and doesn’t want,” she says.

And in some cases that varies from Fonthill to St. Davids. “We offer different snacks at the two locations. Each has its own idiosyncrasies.”

The Junction has also recently added its own coffee bean roaster — it was shipped from overseas to Minneapolis, and from there to Niagara. And once it arrived, “it took a long time to get the specifications for the hook-ups,” explains Tammy. It is now set up in the front window of the shop, with David at its helm. ”We’re hoping to offer a lot more in the way of beans and coffee tastings,” she says. “We rent a large roaster for our house brews, but with this we’ll be able to offer different selections of single-origin coffees. And they will be different for the summer — they will change each season.”

With a growing business and a bright future, Tammy was asked about the controversial roundabout the region has planned for the York Road intersection, which will be right outside her front door and close to the patio if it goes ahead. “We don't hear a lot of chatter, but if anybody does bring it up they’re not overly supportive,” she answers.

She knew when she opened The Junction that there was a chance it was coming, and wasn’t too concerned at the time. “I’m familiar with roundabouts in Europe,” she says, “and supportive of them. They work well, and this one will too if it’s small and appropriate for the village. But if it’s a great big thing, it could kill us.”

She says the traffic control in front of St. Davids Public School on York Road, where there is a community safety zone and a speed camera, “is really slowing down traffic, and that’s good for the school. That is also an advantage for us. But a big roundabout could actually speed up traffic, and that would hurt us. Hopefully that doesn’t happen.”

However, given the enthusiasm from clients and their comments to The Local on a busy sunny afternoon recently, it seems there will always be a stream of those who will make a point of stopping at The Junction for their regular fix of top-quality coffee.