The Bothy cafe on Gerrard Street East pays tribute to the welcoming atmosphere of Scottish bothies

By MATTHEW STEPHENS

When it comes to cafes, aesthetic is equally as important as the products and services provided – and the recently opened cafe The Bothy at 2249 Gerrard St. E. has all bases covered; from a cozy, vintage atmosphere, to fresh baked goods, natural teas and freshly roasted coffee.

“We tried to make this space as cozy as possible,” said co-owner of The Bothy, Alex Bowman.

“We both found that a lot of the times in bigger cities, there’s a lot of coffee shops that are minimalist, which is cool, but we wanted something a little more welcoming. We went very vintage. Someone described it as like a grandma’s living room, which I love so much.”

According to Bowman, all the furniture, art, and decor in the shop was thrifted to cultivate a welcoming, lived-in environment. 

With a menu of treats baked from scratch with family recipes, and a plethora of high-quality natural teas and fresh roasted coffee, The Bothy serves authentic food and drinks in a warm and inviting space.

“Everything is baked here from scratch. We do butter tarts, cinnamon sugar caked donuts that are super popular, lemon cakes, and then I have my grandma’s recipe for banana bread that I used to make with her when I was a kid, so I’m making that here as well,” said Bowman

Reception from the community has been supportive since opening the cafe back in February, said Bowman.

Prior to being The Bothy, the popular Prologue café had been operating in the same building at the corner of Gerrard Street East and Osborne Avenue before it closed in June of last year.

“It was surprising how many people were stopping to talk to us when we were still working on the shop before it opened. We could tell that that the neighbourhood really missed having a coffee shop nearby,” said Bowman. “Prologue had been there for like six years I think, and they closed over the summer, so you could feel that loss in the neighbourhood.”

The Bothy co-owner Alek Marriott emphasized the strength of the community and its distinction from the rest of the city.

“Here in the Beaches, Beach Hill and Upper Beaches, there’s such a sense of community, unlike a lot of the rest of Toronto, and just big cities in general,” said Marriott. “It’s really interesting that in such a big city, an area like this exists.”

Born and raised in Florida, Bowman hoped to move to Toronto and expand her father’s coffee shop business with her own shop in his hometown. She now lives in the Coxwell Avenue and Gerrard Street East area.

“My dad has some coffee shops in the States. He’s from Toronto, but ended up moving to Florida, so that’s where I grew up,” said Bowman. “We moved up here, and now my dad’s roasting and sending us the coffee.”

Prior to moving to Canada, Bowman and Marriott spent some time travelling in the Highlands of Scotland, where they stumbled upon the inspiration for their cafe’s name and aesthetic.

“Before we moved up here, we actually lived over in Scotland for a little while, and we really loved it,” said Bowman. “Bothies are like these little cottages or shelters. You’ll find them in the Highlands a lot, usually in the middle of nowhere. If you’re camping or travelling, you can use them for free for a couple of days, and they really had a cozy connotation.”

The cafe’s name derives from a Scottish term used to describe communal shelters often found in the country’s remote mountainous lands. In Scotland, bothies serve local travellers with basic accommodations such as food, drink, and shelter; free of charge.

At The Bothy cafe, Bowman and Marriott said they hope to replicate a traditional bothy atmosphere dedicated to quality service, great food, and gracious hospitality.

For more information on The Bothy, please visit them on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/bothy.coffee/