Haven is expected to close within the next month due to significant financial deficits, the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) announced.
The closure was announced by CUSA president Sarah El Fitori and the association’s board during a special council meeting on Nov. 12.
Haven is a café located roughly one kilometre off campus at the corner of Seneca Street and Sunnyside Avenue. It is owned and operated by CUSA and has been operating for 17 years.
Haven’s closure follows last month’s grand opening of Haven Connect, an event and co-working space.
In a presentation on CUSA’s budget, El Fitori said Haven ended the 2023-2024 year with a $228,000 deficit. Financial projections shared at the meeting forecast Haven’s deficit to continue into the 2024-2025 year.
Haven is not the only CUSA business losing money — Ollie’s is expected to lose $98,000 in the 2024-2025 year. Rooster’s Coffeehouse is the only CUSA business expected to make a profit this year, projected at approximately $15,000.
“Our other businesses, while they are losing a lot of money, there’s still a lot we can do,” El Fitori said. “[For] Haven, we were told by everyone that there’s really nothing we can do.”
Noah Goodgie, the chairperson of CUSA’s board, said the decision to close Haven was made on the recommendation of CUSA’s finance and business and hospitality managers, auditors and Haven’s manager.
Accessibility concerns also contributed to the decision to close Haven, Goodgie added.
“Since Haven is off campus, it’s very difficult for people to find a reason to go,” he said. “It’s not accessible [and] there’s no on-site parking.”
Additionally, Haven is not wheelchair accessible.
Board member Emma Mantler said Haven’s infrastructure is “not built to be a cafe,” citing challenges such as the lack of an on-site kitchen and high product cost paired with low profit margins.
After the closure, CUSA aims to use the Haven building as a commercial rental property. Leasing the building’s upper and lower spaces separately would bring in an estimated $7,200 per month, Goodgie said.
“[Leasing the space is] a wonderful opportunity to not be in a deficit, but also have a reliable and continuous source of income,” he said.
The income provided by leasing the property would add up to approximately $85,000 per year, El Fitori said. The association is looking to secure long-term leases of approximately five years to ensure consistent income, she said, adding CUSA’s real estate agents have indicated there is already interest in leasing the building.
“With this off-campus location no longer being a worry for profitability and CUSA’s budget, we can focus on on-campus business,” El Fitori said. “This means directly dealing with students’ needs, which is the goal of CUSA in the first place.”
The association plans to move all of Haven’s property and supplies to campus over the next few weeks. Haven’s staff will be given the opportunity to relocate to on-campus jobs.
Goodgie said CUSA is also looking into possible spaces on campus where events typically hosted at Haven, like open mics or poetry nights, can be held.
Haven was first founded by Carleton students in 2007 as an independent bookstore called Raven Books.
The business originally sold academic textbooks, but “quickly became a beloved hub for the student community at Carleton,” according to Haven’s website. In 2019, Haven added a cafe space to its operations.
Last April, Haven fully closed its book consignment operations due to several years of projected profit loss, a move announced during an October 2023 CUSA board meeting.
CUSA did not specify its plans for the new Haven Connect, or an exact closure date for the business.
“We are all understanding that this is a space that students care about,” Mantler said. “It’s a difficult decision that we have to make and not taken lightly.”
Featured image by Daria Maystruk/The Charlatan.
