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The Spark

In July 2015, Rick and Sonya (pronounced “Sawn-Ya”) Szabo (pronounced “ZAY-BO”) finally realized their fifteen-year dream of starting a coffee shop.

For newlyweds, Rick and Sonya, living in Seattle, Washington USA in the late ’90s was like living in a coffee lover’s paradise.  Seattle is the birthplace of Starbucks.  Its success inspired a myriad of small family-owned and operated coffee shops found on every block and even tiny drive-thrus on most corners. It was in Seattle where they dreamed of one day owning their own cafĂ©.

Raising 3 small children, a corporate job and a two-year stretch of missionary work in South Africa drove their love (and need) for coffee further but also distracted them from their dream of sharing their love of coffee with others.

The Szabo Family in 2015

The Szabo Family in 2015

Vic 1.0

The move to Prince Edward County in 2014 rekindled their dream.  The County streets whisper in the ears of the entrepreneurially-minded:  “here, you can do anything you dream”.  When the little 700 square-foot space at 222 Main Street, The Regent Theatre, in Picton became available, their dreams quickly sparked into reality. The timing was right for their family. They decided to take the leap and follow their dreams.

The original Vic Café concept was a small coffee shop that combined a passion of excellent coffee and simple, great-tasting healthy-minded food. It was also important to have food for those with specialty diets. The mission statement was there is beauty in our world to discover and explore and this café offers all we need to fuel up to enjoy life.

The original loaction at 222 Main Street in front of the Regent Theatre

The original loaction at 222 Main Street in front of the Regent Theatre

The Name

History inspired the name “The Vic”. Prince Edward’s daughter, Queen Victoria, is the muse for the name and some of the menu item names. A royal name for a regal business.

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Vic 2.0

Three years of business at the space at the Regent saw much success for the little coffee shop.  There were two renovations, and expansions into the patio at the Picton Library. The business was expanding but the small space wasn’t.

The Vic’s last day at the Regent was on December 23, 2018, and they moved into the former Subway Sandwiches location, which opened in spring 2019.

The move meant Vic would keep the same ethos that everyone loves about The Vic, keep the great coffee paired with great food but move away from a coffee shop into a full restaurant.  The new concept is a “Modern Diner”. Breakfast all day, comforting but edgy healthy-minded food.