Jorge Barrera
Northern News Services
Rankin Inlet (Jun 20/01) - Behind the Red Top arcade and convenience store is Rankin Inlet's newest coffee joint, the Sugar Rush Cafe, promising an urban atmosphere, flavoured coffee and doughnuts.
Though not scheduled to open until the end of the month, cafe owner Bernadette Chislette said last week that everything is ready to go. She's just waiting for a freezer.
"There's going to be lots of doughnuts go with coffee," said Chislette, sitting in one of the booths by a window in the smoking section.
"This'll probably be the best seat in the house," she said, looking out through the window overlooking a porch with a couple of tables and chairs for summer coffee drinking.
The interior of the cafe is finished. The walls are painted with warm greens and reds, giving it an urban feel. One almost expects a black-clad beatnik to walk in at any moment and order a French vanilla coffee, hold the cream.
The name for the coffee shop came to Chislette one night while laying in bed.
"Every time I have a coffee I always say I need my sugar rush," she said.
Her husband, James, gave her the idea for the cafe. She said the town lost its only coffee shop-style place when Coffee Delights shut down not too long ago.
"People missed it," she said. "There is a need for it," said Chislette.
With seating for 54, Chislette said her coffee shop will offer a wide variety of coffees, from decaf to hazelnut, along with different types of doughnuts and pastries like eclairs and chocolate glazed doughnuts.
For people who don't want sweets, they can order hot dogs. And Chislette said she hopes to provide lunch and dinner menus sometime in the near future.
Chislette's cafe also offers four full-time jobs and two or three part-time positions. "If it gets busier I'll probably have to hire more," she added.
Chislette's husband built the cafe last summer through his contracting company, Qagvik Enterprises Ltd.
It would have been open sooner, except their order came incomplete on the barge. "The whole roof setup was missing," said Chislette.
Getting the cafe ready for opening was hard work, but it's starting to pay off as the inauguration date draws closer.
"I'm excited," said Chislette. "I thought I was going to get an ulcer," she said.
The cafe will be for everyone, from teenagers to government workers.
Rankin Inlet also saw the opening of another restaurant, Lone Wolf Cafe, earlier this month.
