Last month we broke the news that Cartems Donuterie was opening up at the foot of the historic Ashnola building on the corner of East 6th Ave and Main St. in Mount Pleasant…
I toured the construction site a couple of weeks ago with co-owner Jordan Cash and designer Ricky Alvarez of Tinto Creative. Having loved the building since I was a kid, it was kind of a thrill to catch peeks of the original fir floors, which have been restored after they were found under five layers of carpet and lino. I also dug the ancient beams and the reeded glass above the front windows. The fellas at Pacific Solutions Contracting have tons of experience working with old bones, and I imagine they and Ricky will both do the address justice.
The new spot is only 1,000 sqft, so the donuts will be shuttled up several times a day from the commissary/shop on West Pender (in a van that runs on Cartems’ spent fryer oil). They’ll also have a full service coffee bar using beans from the recently opened Elysian a few block to the west. Bonus: they’ll also be serving Earnest Ice Cream.
It’s been open for about a week or so now and I’ve already lost a couple of hours to it over hot sips of good coffee, just sitting in the corner that I’d always wanted to sit in for as long as I can remember. Take a peek the next time you’re in the neighbourhood. The hours are Monday to Friday from 7am to 10pm, Saturday from 9am to10pm, and Sunday from 9am to 8pm. Bonus: strong wi-fi, if you need it.