"Where have you been, I hear you say - I'll meet you at the Blue Cafe."
That line from Chris Rea's 1998 pop song "The Blue Cafe" is now the inspiration for the name of a new, real cafe now open in North Oakville.
On October 6, 2024, in Oakville's uptown core neighbourhood, an opening ceremony was held for the new coffee shop at 216 Oak Park Blvd.
Ward 7 City Councillor Scott Xie and Ward 5 Town Councillor Marc Grant both attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of The Blue Cafe and delivered congratulations on behalf of Oakville City Council.
They said they were pleased to see a new business addition to the Oakville community that will provide quality coffee and baked goods to local residents.
Walking into the coffee shop, the overall light blue colour tones, exquisite flowers and details of the decorative furnishings have a wondrous combination to create a very warm French style.
That relaxing feeling that should put you in a conducive mood to order a cup of coffee and enjoy the tranquility and peace of mind. This is indeed the feeling that the owner, Daisy Guo, would like her customers to experience.
"I hope this coffee shop does more than just make coffee, but also has other multi-functional values, such as the emotional value of a sense of cultural ambience, so that customers not only buy coffee and leave, but also enjoy passing time in the store and enjoying the beautiful and relaxing moment of coffee time," Daisy said.
Why did she chose to open a coffee shop in Oakville? Daisy thinks that it may be well-suited to the town's humanistic style and coffee consumption habits, where residents truly enjoy a calm and relaxed lifestyle, with a tone of organic and healthy living. It was thus a solid decision for her to establish a medium to high-end positioning for The Blue Cafe.
Throughout Daisy's life experiences, whether in her part-time career or her own entrepreneurial endeavours, she has always been driven by her hobbies first and stuck to what she is good at.
Daisy first came to Toronto in 2003. After graduating from the University of Waterloo with a degree in Mathematics, she worked at odd jobs, worked for different large companies including investment banks, and lived in the U.K. for a while.
When she returned to Canada, she started her own business in the field of business analysis, which had to close due to poor timing, courtesy of the recent pandemic.
Unfazed, Daisy found a true passion in baking, and realizing that coffee, tea and baked goods were a natural and perfect combination, the notion of The Blue Cafe was conceived.
In May 2024, the coffee shop started its trial run. During the first month, Daisy encountered various challenges including all kinds of worries, nervousness, and stress, such as: Will people come? Is the price positioning appropriate? Do you like the coffee flavor?
Since then, her team has persevered with continuous improvements and adjustments, resulting in 90%-95% positive reviews of The Blue Cafe. Undoubtedly, it inspired Daisy and her team's unwavering encouragement and motivation to do even better.
Daisy believes the existence of The Blue Cafe is not necessarily just about making "quality coffee" - it's also providing a tranquil setting to enjoy and experience a relaxed and wholesome moment.
At the Café, you will encounter pleasant folks engaging with one another, and this is where the beauty and charm of linking up with others lie, all this together with the experiential sharing of values that Daisy and her team have and will continue to serve.
For this month, The Blue Cafe will be offering two training programs: barista training and baking classes. Interested community members should be on the lookout to attend these noteworthy sessions.