Heritage status granted for future café near Bannerman Park

Globetrotters Gary Long and Laura Bloomquist are looking to set down some roots in St. John’s, with plans to open a café and gelato shop in the coming months.

At Monday evening’s St. John’s city council meeting, the couple got approval for heritage status for their three-story home at 85 Military Rd.

Now attention turns to renovation, as extensive changes to the building will be needed before the café can open its doors, just a short walk away from Bannerman Park.

Property owner Long, 40, originally from England, says he’s been searching for a place to turn into a new business since he first moved to St. John’s three years ago. Prior to that, he spent five years in Nicaragua, where he met Bloomquist, 33, who is originally from Ottawa. The pair now have a child to care for in the newly minted heritage home.

Long says the location was key to determining what he plans to sell at the café.

“It’s stuff that we’ll serve to people at the park,” said Long.

“We’re not going to have tables and chairs, it’ll be kind of bar-seating. We don’t have a vast amount of square-footage, so we’re looking at servicing Bannerman Park with some interesting ice cream and coffee goods.”

Long says it’s too early to give a name to the café.

The plan is to have the café open year-round, with different offerings for different times of year.

“Right now, that Loop is just buzzing. There’s so much on the go. You’re talking 50-70 people over there in the evenings — that’s our market. I definitely see us being able to put forward some kind of products that go with skating around the Loop in the winter, and offer gelato in the summer,” said Long.

Things are still up in the air and depend on what the city will allow within heritage regulations.

The house was built in the early 1900s. According to city documents, it reflects the Second Empire type of home, which gained popularity after the Great Fire of 1892, primarily associated with architect John Southcott.

The ground-level floor of the home will have to be completely gutted to make way for the store front, with any living amenities moved to the higher floors to allow the work to proceed. Long wouldn’t give a guess at how much it will all cost, but he says it will be an extensive renovation.

All that work will have to follow city regulations for the newly minted heritage home. While Long says he’d love to have the café open by the summer, the ins and outs of building permits prevents him from giving a firm estimate to when the business will open.

Opening businesses is nothing new for Long. He has a number of similar small café’s and hotels east of London, England. The pair opened another similar shop during their stay in Nicaragua. The England-based businesses are now managed by Long’s brother, with a family in Nicaragua managing the property in that country.

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