From Coffee to Concerts: How this Coffeehouse is becoming a Music Hub
There’s something magical about the combination of great coffee and live music—it just feels right. At Good Earth Cranston Market, this pairing is coming to life in a whole new way. This cozy coffeehouse has long been a local favourite for its exceptional coffee, freshly made food, and relaxed atmosphere that makes you feel right at home. Now, they’re hosting ticketed live music events, bringing a new kind of energy to this corner of Calgary.
We recently chatted with the Operating Partner, Ana, to learn more about what inspired this move and how Side Door is making it easier for venues like Good Earth Cranston Market to connect with artists and the community.
Q: How did you gather community feedback that led you to start hosting live music? What inspired you to take the plunge?
A: We have lived in Cranston for about 10 years; through the years, I heard from people here and in neighbouring communities about the lack of entertainment options in the area. When we took over the shop, it was number one on our list to provide those things for our community. As word got out of the change in ownership, people started approaching us with their ideas or recommendations regarding having live music in the coffeehouse once again. A friend of a friend gave us a ton of tips about becoming a venue for local artists and a list of artists to reach out to and we went with it. We've hosted local artists, customer's bands, the Classical Guitar Society of Calgary and we have slowly been bringing private ticketed events.
Q: Organizing your shop's first ticketed event must have been exciting! What were the biggest challenges? What surprised you the most?
A: We are very excited to host our first ticketed concert and very grateful to have Ryan McMahon be the one opening this new side of our coffeehouse. It was hard at first to even get artists to engage in a conversation since we are an unknown venue nestled in the city limits, we have no equipment to offer our musicians at the moment, little personal experience and a tiny budget to make this happen. I did a lot of research and managed to get a couple of artists to take a gamble on what we are building.
Q: Why did you choose Side Door for your event? How has your experience been so far?
A: It was Ryan McMahon who pointed us in the right direction with Side Door and it has been a great experience so far. Very easy to set up our account, create our event and even look through events in our city and learn about shows in the area. Through the Side Door platform, I learned that other artists can see us as a potential venue and we can't wait to explore that side as well.
Q: Can you describe the vibe of your space? How does it contribute to enhancing the live music experience for both the artists and the audience?
A: Our coffeehouse is a community hub, a meeting place for all kinds of purposes. Friends getting together, families enjoying a relaxed visit, people working or enjoying downtime by themselves. We have made it our mission to provide a safe space for everyone, where people feel welcomed and appreciated. We have a large space for a shop of our style but it is just big enough to comfortably accommodate an artist and their audience in a cozy and placid atmosphere.
Q: What are your hopes for hosting concerts? How do you see this shaping your relationship with customers and the local scene?
A: My hope in opening up the shop for these types of events is that the community gets to witness a variety of musicians and experiences close to home. For the artists that honour us with their visits to find a place to enjoy themselves and thrive with the support of our community.
Mark your calendars for September 17, when Good Earth Cranston Market will host an intimate concert featuring the soulful sounds of Ryan McMahon. Click here to get tickets!
This is just the beginning of our mission to bring live music closer to home for communities everywhere. With spaces like this embracing the magic of live performances, the possibilities are endless.
If you have a favourite local spot that would be perfect for live music, suggest they give it a try. Let’s spread the word and turn more of those hidden gems into the next go-to venues in your community.
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