Jumping for (Coffee by) JOY!
A new café in the Lower Junction Triangle serves up roasted brews and slow-paced design
On a winding, industrial stretch of Sterling Road—tucked between the chocolate factory, the MOCA and a collection of architectural offices—lives a small but distinctive coffee shop. Dubbed Coffee by JOY, the space—which only opened in December—has already become a neighbourhood destination for coffee and craftsmanship. Looking for like-minded people in Toronto after moving from Czechia, owners and betrothed couple Monika and Tomas—artists in their own right—settled on this location to be near the local art and design community.
“These buildings have lots of studios full of artists and entrepreneurs who do creative work. We feel art is settled here,” explains Monika.
And Coffee by JOY fits right in. With a minimal yet intentional interior scheme, the café’s design was brought to life entirely in-house, spearheaded by Monika, previously a working interior designer with an architecture background. Designed as a free-flowing single room, the space revolves around one central island table that houses everything from the espresso machine and the array of home-made pastries, to the collection of hand-crafted ceramics (most made by Tomas and Monika) and other local goods. Empty walls draw the eye towards this focal point and all barriers between customer and staff are removed. The table itself is also remarkable: half-stainless steel, half-wood with one side held up by three stacked granite blocks.
“Somebody just put ‘pick it up for free’ and we didn’t know the size. But when we brought it back, it just fit perfectly. It was meant to be for us,” says Monika.
Other elements of the design came together in a similarly kismet way. The café name came to Monika in a dream as a vision of a cheerful little girl named Joy (now the shop uses this name to personify its branding). And when the duo was joking with their builder friend about designing something for the water station, they never imagined an interior wall fountain was in the cards, but it came together naturally. “When we asked him if we could do something, he said, ‘You can do everything. Everything is possible.’ I was joking and I said, ‘So even a waterfall?’” shares Tomas. Now, the elegant washing-up bowl and vertical pipe-system is a free-water station for cyclists, dogs and other passers-by—not to mention Instagrammable.
But throughout it all, dedication to craftsmanship remains a core tenet of Coffee by JOY’s interior. Case in point: the wooden bench that sits outside the front door for the warmer months (shown here on the rear wall) was hand-carved by Monika, a skill taught to her by her carpenter grandfather.
Coming from Czechia, where high-design cafés are part of the coffee experience, the duo also wanted to emphasize the importance of a slower-paced space. “Coffee culture is strong here, but the hospitality is very different. Here it is very fast, and people kind of just want coffee. We feel that the coffee culture itself needs to be nourished a lot in this city. So, we would like to be one of the examples,” explains Monika.
Co-owner Tomas serving up a coffee beverage.
With plans for a second unit turned invite-only gallery space in the works, the pair are well on their way. And if you’re in the neighbourhood, don’t forget to stop by for a matcha or Czech Kolache!
“Now we are just fully devoted to joy,” says Monika. Pun aside, the sentiment is admirable.
