Meet Your Neighbour: Espresso Post
Located in a beautifully restored heritage building in Downtown Collingwood, Espresso Post is the community hub where people meet, converse, and relax over espresso, cappuccino, coffee, or tea along with a beautiful pastry, lunch or treat.
Owned and operated by wife and husband team, Christene and Mark Krause, Espresso Post opened to the public in June of 2003 with a very soft opening. “We were still in the middle of renovations, but we needed to start generating revenue so that we could finish the project. We literally strung up a black curtain and were selling espresso and banana bread to our first walk-up customers while we were putting finishing touches in place behind the black curtain,” recalls Christene. “The building we’re in was built in 1897 and was Collingwood’s first brick post office, so you can imagine there was a lot of work to be done to lovingly restore this place.”
By October 2003, Christene and Mark were able to welcome patrons inside Collingwood’s first specialty espresso bar. “We always wanted to offer a relaxed and comfortable space for our customers where they felt like they were in their own living room. We’re very proud to consistently offer quality products that are uniquely our own. We’ve worked with our coffee roaster to create our proprietary blend of espresso that we have been serving since day one plus all of our baked goods are made by hand from scratch,” says Christene.
Fun fact: Christene and Mark met in Seattle while bike riding and found common ground with their mutual love of good coffee.
“I discovered my appreciation for the power of a delicious baked treat while I was in university. I worked part-time in a bakeshop to help put me through school, and whenever I would serve people a slice of cake, it always put a smile on their face. I love that a good coffee or delicious treat can better a person’s day. I previously worked as a designer in the fashion industry and once we opened Espresso Post, I channeled that creativity into baking for our cafe. As for Mark, he just loves making things by hand, he always has, and he really enjoys making specialty beverages for our loyal local customers all day long. We have always been here for the locals, the business we get from visitors to the area is the icing on the cake.” explains Christene.
The next time you feel like enjoying a specialty beverage with a lovingly made treat from the daily assortment of delicious rustic pastries or sit for a savory lunch, stop in at Espresso Post. Baked fresh every day, the pastry case is filled with muffins, scones, croissants, custard tarts, loaves and more. Drinks can be made with traditional or alternative dairy on request. Keep Espresso Post in mind if you need a custom cake or have a special baking order, especially for birthdays, or around holidays like Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
You can find Espresso Post with 20 seats inside and an additional 24 seats on the patio at 139 Hurontario Street in centre of the Heritage District of Collingwood’s Downtown. Follow them on Facebook or Instagram to stay up to date on what’s brewing.