INVUIK - After roughly 11 years, the town's only coffee shop, Cafe Gallery, has closed its doors.

Former owner Rob Cook officially ceased operations Thursday, Nov. 19, to the surprise of many residents, including Frank Fulop who was a regular patron as well as a friend of Cook's.

After roughly 11 years in operation, Cafe Gallery closed its doors for good on Nov. 19. - Andrew Rankin/NNSL photo

"I was there one day having soup and I paid him. We said, 'hi how are you doing,'" said Fulop. "The next day he closed down and he didn't say a single word about it. It was a little unusual."

Once a popular hangout, the Mackenzie Road coffeehouse was well known for its quality speciality coffee, baked goods and busy lunchtime hours where popular homemade sandwiches and soups were served.

Fulop, a taxi driver, said he's sad to see the business go.

"I miss it so much because I liked the coffee there. I loved the soup and it was a convenient place to get to," he said.

Cook left town last week and couldn't be reached for comment. According to Fulop, Cook was friendly with the town's taxi drivers, often giving them a dollar deal for a cup of coffee. In fact, last February, Cook successfully challenged the former city council on its bylaw prohibiting people aged 70 and older from getting a cab licence. He had taken up the cause on behalf of Fulop, who's in his 70s.

"Rob was a very good guy and he was very good to me," said Fulop. "He also hired some very nice young ladies over the years."

Although he was surprised to see the shop close so suddenly, Fulop said he did see a sudden drop in customers over the last few months.

Debbie Karl, an employee of the building owner who leased the space to Cook, said Cook had been a good tenant and deserved credit for working hard to keep the business open for more than a decade.

She said she wasn't sure whether Cook would be returning to Inuvik. She and building owner Moe Grant are hoping to find new tenants willing to reopen a coffee shop. Grant added there's been a lot of interest shown and they're hoping another coffee shop will open in the new year.

"It's sad to see a small town lose its only coffee shop," said Karl. "We have a need for it."

Flora Abraham was also a regular at Cafe Gallery. She said there was a lot to like about it.

"I went a lot," she said. "I liked the relaxed atmosphere. A lot of interesting people gathered there. The soup was delicious. Sometimes you had to wait a half an hour but that was fine because you knew what you were getting was good quality."

Like Karl, she also said Cook deserved credit for bringing something good to the community.

"He went through a lot of staff but he always seemed to persevere and find a way," she said. I appreciated that."