Cafe Blackbird

Michelle Hayduk is a graphic designer and an arts administrator. Her husband, Chris, is a police officer with the Edmonton Police Service. An unlikely duo to be opening a cafe? Maybe not.

“It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do, a cafe or pub,” says Chris. There was something in it for both of them, as it turns out.

“Chris has always had a passion for coffee, and mine has always been in the arts. For me, I saw the opportunity for the night-time music, the gallery — it kind of came together with Chris and myself,” says Michelle.

And that’s why the Hayduks created Cafe Blackbird. The couple took over the former Jeffrey’s Wine Bar space in Crestwood at the end of September, renovated for a week and got it up and running. It all happened sooner than they thought it would — they were originally planning on having a place for retirement. But opportunity knocked when Chris went to Iconoclast coffee on a friend’s recommendation.

“I met the owner and talked to him about some concepts and ideas. And that same friend ended up talking to Brad from Culina and said, ‘you should talk.’ And I talked to Brad, and then the next thing we heard was that Jeffrey’s was for sale. We saw the potential for us and put in an offer, and here we are.”