Artists, creatives and neighbours celebrated the opening of The Creative Café at a soft launch event on Sept. 26. The 3,500 square-foot space is located inside the Bright Building condominiums at 741 King St. W. in Kitchener. It features a dedicated gallery and event space alongside a small cafe that can be used as a pop-up space for local food entrepreneurs.
The Creative Café is the latest project from the team behind KWFamous, a non-profit group that hosts meetups, workshops, and events across the region. Robin Lindner, founder of KWFamous, said she pitched the idea to the building’s developer, Scott Higgins of HIP Developments, after reading his book The Joy Experiments.
“Their whole mantra is bringing people together. So instead of creating an amenity space like a gym that no one would use, they advocated for creating a space that welcomes the community in,” Lindner said.
The opening of The Creative Café comes three months after a similar concept failed to gain support in Waterloo. ArtsBuild Ontario had asked the City of Waterloo for a three-year lease for the former St. Columba Anglican Church site which the city had purchased in February 2025.
Lindner said she was disappointed when she learned of the decision.
“I don’t think there’s a lack of space. I think there’s a lack of willingness to give that space up and give up control,” she said.
Lindner credited Higgins and HIP Developments for taking a risk to create a new type of amenity space for building residents and the neighbouring community. Higgins said arts play a critical role in making a community a great place to live, but, as a neighbourbood gentrifies, the artists who made it great can no longer afford to live and work there.
“We’ve been building these backyards in the sky that no one uses, and then we’re building for-lease space on the ground floor that no small business can afford. We’re sterilizing our community,” Higgins said.
The answer for Higgins was to work with the residents of the Bright Building and the City of Kitchener to change how amenity space was used. Instead of a gym or bowling alley on an upper level, the building has street-level amenity space and Higgins put out a call for a creative group to run it. The space is rent-free, but KWFamous is responsible for utilities and upkeep.
“Working with the city and the residents allowed us to put amenities on the ground floor so that they can be amenities for the neighborhood, not just the residents,” he said.
Lindner said Higgin’s vision is sustainable and has the potential to work for artists and the community.
“I’m excited to prove the concept and build this with other creatives in the community. This is a space that residents can invite people in and be proud of, whether that’s having a coffee or checking out a cool film being played. It’s an extra bonus for people who live in the building,” Lindner said.
KWFamous has also started discussions with the Waterloo Region District School Board about potentially offering workshops for students at the neighbouring Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate Institute.
“They have really great vocational and co-op programs, and we want to test out what we could offer them, whether that’s making patties with The Dessert Artist’s Rochelle Williams or pastries with Casey Ng from Nibble & Nosh,” she said.
Beyond culinary opportunities, Lindner wants to create artistic outlets for high school students. She credits similar opportunities during her high school years for giving her the confidence to pursue her art.
“There’s not a lot of outlets for people to be creative, especially for the high school students. It can be a tough time and having that creative outlet or being shown the possibility of doing a craft can be inspiring,” Lindner said.
“There are so many things that can happen here if we keep this space as modular and open as possible. I’m excited for people to come together and learn something,” Lindner said.
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