This corner store owner spent years fighting the city to serve coffee
There’s nothing quite like zoning laws keeping you from your morning brew
For nearly three years, an espresso machine inside a Little Italy grocery store has been at the centre of one of Toronto’s most peculiar zoning battles: whether a corner shop should be allowed to serve coffee. Now, Finch Store owner Yana Miriev has finally received the licence she needs to keep the caffeine flowing.
The breakthrough comes three months after city council adopted a motion last November allowing new corner stores and cafés on residential portions of some major streets across the city, as well as on newly designated “community streets” in Old Toronto and East York. The designation generally applies to smaller streets with sidewalks, cycling infrastructure, transit access and nearby community institutions.
The trouble began in 2023, when Miriev started selling freshly brewed coffee in her shop. She had written approval from city officials to do so, but a few weeks later, a by-law officer informed her that the city had made a mistake and that she was, in fact, violating zoning rules. Her case was sent to the Toronto Licensing Tribunal, which had the power to revoke her licence to sell refreshments—a decision that she claims would have likely forced her to close the store. Miriev operates on tight margins, and coffee accounts for 10 per cent of Finch Store’s revenue.
The case sparked public outcry. Residents gathered 5,000 signatures on petitions urging the city to allow the store to keep serving coffee, prompting officials to pause the tribunal hearing while they considered broader zoning changes. Miriev was allowed to continue pouring java, receiving a series of temporary licence extensions while the city deliberated.
Related: A sentimental Reddit thread is remembering a Toronto that no longer exists
After the November policy change worked its way through the city’s administrative process, Miriev was granted her licence on February 24. “When I first got the licence, I almost didn’t believe it had actually happened after more than two years of stress and uncertainty,” she says. “But then I felt peace of mind knowing that my business can now survive.”
Not everyone supported the change. Some residents argued that the motion passed without sufficient safeguards against the potential noise and disruption that new pubs or cannabis stores might bring to residential areas. However, the city did respond to some of those concerns by narrowing the by-law from an earlier proposal that would have allowed neighbourhood retail on any residential corner lot.
Miriev says she understands why the city took time to balance competing concerns. “I would have loved for my licence to come sooner, but this decision was about a bigger picture than just my store,” she says. “It’s about something that affects everyone in this city.”
With the zoning drama behind her, Miriev says she’s now considering modest changes to the shop, including adding a few indoor seats so the neighbourhood grocery can double as a small café. To celebrate and thank her community, she’ll be serving free coffee at Finch Store from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 7. No talk of zoning laws allowed.
Ali Amad is a Palestinian-Canadian journalist based in Toronto. His work has appeared in publications including Toronto Life, Maclean’s, Vice, Reader’s Digest and the Walrus, often exploring themes of identity, social justice and the immigrant experience.
