COCHRANE - After nearly three years, it’s the end of the line for Cochrane’s Railway Cafe.
The owner took to Facebook on July 3 to announce it would be closing its doors for good just a couple of days later on July 5.
“It has been an honour to serve our community and visitors. There have been so many memorable experiences, laughs shared, tears shed, and lessons learned,” wrote owner Candice Tourville.
Railway Cafe opened in August of 2021. Tourville said she made the decision to close the business in order to focus on family.
“Over the past six months, I’ve been asked by many, ‘How are you doing it, raising a large family, a business, and a full time job?’ This long weekend I was reminded of that question after reading a post, ‘just because she carries it well, doesn’t mean it’s not heavy,’” she wrote.
Tourville said the past year has had its challenges.
“And all the while I have missed my children. In March, I committed myself to staying home in the morning — not coming in at 6am anymore — and I realized how much I’ve missed my girls and their morning routine,” she wrote.
“Going through hardships makes you take stock of your life and I realized that I wanted more time with my family. Of course, in my business mind, I still want to open for dinner, open for cafe after dark, open for weekends, open a patio, but the truth is, that will take more time away from my family. And as much as I love the cafe, I love my family more.”
The post received hundreds of shares, reactions and comments from community members who expressed their sadness, but understood Tourville’s decision to close the cafe.
It’s disappointing to see one of the staple food providers in the municipality close, Mayor Peter Politis told TimminsToday.
“The Railway Cafe was known across the region as an upscale and modern bistro that perfectly fit the town’s moniker, ‘wonderfully unexpected,’” he said.
“The initiative is a success story involving unrelenting Indigenous entrepreneurialism leveraging opportunity through the Ontario Northland Railway, who themselves unrelentingly forged this country a little more than 100 years ago.”
In May, the cafe was used as one of the filming locations for a short film being produced in the area.
SEE: Film being shot in Cochrane using as much local talent as possible
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Politis said he wishes Tourville all the best with her family going forward.
"We appreciate the need for the owner to make this important life choice,” he said.
“While we are disappointed, we are also excited to see what the next opportunity will bring to this ideally located place.”
