Gigi’s Cafe closes after years of serving the Quadra Village community (UPDATED)

Gigi’s Cafe, a mainstay of Quadra Village has quietly closed its doors for good after their lease came to an end. 

The small cafe at the corner of Hillside Avenue and Quadra Street has been in business since 2018. It officially closed on Saturday, May 23rd. 

Though it was initially reported that the closure stemmed from an eviction, the reality of the situation is that the landlord of the property sought a longer-term tenant, and Gino, owner of Gigi’s Cafe, was not willing to sign on for an extended-term lease. 

“We didn’t get evicted, we went to month-by-month,” Gino told Victoria Buzz. 

He added that he was willing to sign a one- to two-year lease, but that the landlord was seeking a longer-term lease than that. 

It was also initially reported that noise complaints from upstairs residential tenants were to blame for Gigi’s closing. 

While there were noise complaints that caused Gigi’s to cancel their open mic and other music events in the space, they were not the reason for Gigi’s lease coming to an end.  

Pemberton Holmes Property Management, who acted as a broker between the building’s owner and Gigi’s, says that they were simply the “middle man” between the two parties. 

The company says that Gino has been gracious throughout the process, though the Gigi’s website erroneously conveys that the end of lease came from an eviction. 

Gigi’s post on their website also contains a message of gratitude to thank their customers for their patronage. 

“We wish to thank you all from the bottom of our hearts for sharing this beautiful community with us over the years,” wrote Gino.

“It has been such a pleasure to know you & a true honour to serve you.” 

No announcement has been made as to what will take over the space, but some online speculate that a bakery will be moving in. 

Pemberton Holmes says that they hope the community will welcome the new tenant with open arms, the same way they supported Gigi’s. 

The popular writers’ open mic night held at Gigi’s has been relocated and will take place at Camas Book Shop in Quadra Village henceforth.

Editor’s note: This is a corrected story. An earlier version of this article stated that Gigi’s Cafe closed due to an eviction when in fact, their lease came to an end when a longer-term tenant was secured for the space.