Federal Store

Residential Mount Pleasant is a place to gather, meet neighbours – and grab an Americano and pastry at The Federal Store. Colette Griffiths admits that she and her partner Chris Allen had often strolled past the local heritage building, then a convenience store, and imagined what it could be. The day they saw the tenant moving out, they took a risk, slipping a note under the door asking to meet with the owners. “It was a spur of moment thing to do,” Colette admits.

The owners did meet with them. “We hit it off,” she remembers, “I think they saw themselves in us.” The owners offered them the space over others because of the note. “It was my handwriting,” Chris shrugs. “It caught their eye so they called us.” The couple didn’t know what they were in for, Chris says, “We had no plan to open something at this point, we both had jobs.”

The store had long been zoned as grocery, Colette notes. “We wondered what the neighbourhood would want – a convenience store, grocery, café? We had to figure out where the line was.” Chris and Colette found the sweet spot with their mix of unique groceries from local entrepreneurs, fresh baking and a coffee bar. In November 2016, The Federal Store opened.