New businesses see growth, opportunity in Sudbury's downtown

Two businesses began the New Year by opening their doors in Greater Sudbury’s downtown core.

One of those businesses that opened its doors was a familiar area coffee-shop, Books and Beans.

Books and Beans owner Liana Bacon says she always loved the café lifestyle and is happy to have returned to it. (Amanda Hicks/CTV News Northern Ontario)Owner Liana Bacon said she had discussions with her partner about reopening the coffee shop post-pandemic.

“I’ve always loved the café lifestyle,” said Bacon.

“My partner and I talked about getting back into the hospitality industry and we decided to reopen Books and Beans.”

The café, which was previously on Durham Street, now operates in a cozy space on Elgin Street. Bacon told CTV News that while the shop is small, it still harbours the true atmosphere that many of its customers came to know and love.

“The name ‘Books and Beans’ was for all of the bookshelves we had there and our coffee beans of course, so sort of bringing that same theme back,” Bacon said.

“This is a little bit smaller, but we wanted to keep the same vibe that we had in the old space.”

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She said, since the shop reopened, many old customers have come in and shared fond memories, adding she hopes to be able to eventually expand to offer a winter patio.

More information on the café’s plans can be found on their Facebook page.

As for why Bacon chose the location, she said she knew Books and Beans’ new home had to be downtown.

“I like being downtown and I think that the downtown is an important place in the community,” said Bacon.

“It’s the heart, so that’s why we landed on a downtown location. I think it belongs here.”

Just a short walk away on Elm Street is a new restaurant, Peko Peko, offering Taiwanese and authentic Chinese food.

Yong Wei ‘Winson’ Feng, owner of Peko Peko, told CTV News he wanted to bring a unique experience to Sudbury.

“We wanted to share our Chinese food culture in this town,” Feng said.

“Unlike in Toronto, in Sudbury, there’s not many places that have traditional Chinese food or Taiwanese food.”

He said he wanted to offer a fusion of Asian food that many Sudburians might not have tried before.

Peko Peko’s menu is available on their Facebook page.

Feng is an International student studying Sports Administration at Laurentian University. He said he gained experience by cooking for his fellow classmates in residence.

“I was running a kitchen called Winnie’s Kitchen,” said Feng.

“Winnie is my nickname, after Winnie the Pooh. I was making my fried rice and people were enjoying it.”

He said as an international student he faced many additional expenses.

“As an International student, the tuition is pretty high, everything is high, the fees,” Feng said.

He said he decided to open up his business to offer something new and in hopes of helping with some of his expenses.

All of the ingredients used in the dishes are shipped from Taiwan to Toronto, said Feng, adding he drives down to Toronto to pick up the ingredients.

“I used what I’ve learned in schooling to practice in real life,” said Feng.

He said the restaurant will offer him experience as an entrepreneur.

Peko Peko owner Yong Wei 'Winson' Feng serving a customer at his new restaurant in downtown Sudbury. (Amanda Hicks/CTV News Northern Ontario)Feng said it took him a few months to find a location and when the space, which was once Salute Coffee, became available, he knew he’d found a perfect match.

“This place is the perfect sport for me as a new entrepreneur,” Feng said.

“Everything was already set up because it was a coffee shop before, so I appreciated it from the last owner.”

Fend also said he feels the location is ideal because it offers accessibility downtown.

He has to put his schooling on hold to get the restaurant up and running, but plans on returning when business is steady.

Feng said so far he has received consistent customers coming in and he hopes that continues.