Not only can you get tasty food, town locals have maintained their local post office which is also held in the building.(Brooke Steppan/Submitted Photo)

By Rachel May

Saving the community

A small town cafe is keeping its community alive one post office box at a time

May 13, 2023 | 8:00 AM

Brooke’s Café in Lintlaw, Saskatchewan isn’t just another coffee shop. For locals, it’s a pillar that allows the community to not only survive, but thrive.

Owner Brooke Steppan told northeastNOW she debated buying the café, which also serves as the local post office, after seeing it was on sale. However, it never seemed like the right time.

The previous owner eventually decided to shut down, but Steppan stepped in so the village wouldn’t lose two establishments.

“We would lose our post office,” she said. “I just hate to see that in a small town because we don’t have a grocery store or anything like that. So you lose the post office and I feel like the town dies.”

As someone who grew up in Lintlaw, who now owns a local business and serves as the mayor, Steppan remembers how much the town has changed since she was a kid.

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“We don’t have a grocery store, We don’t have a school anymore, so all the kids get bused to Kelvington… most people work in Kelvington,” she said. “So it’s nice to have this so they can come and get a meal and a coffee on their way to work.”

Although the purchase process started in June 2022, the business wasn’t officially passed over until Dec. 30.

In the first few months, business has been booming and community support has shown how dedicated Lintlaw locals are to keeping their town successful.

“The community stood behind me big time and (I’ve) gotten lots of support. I had no idea that it would be this way.”

As for what else Lintlaw offers, Steppan explains that, although there are around 180 residents right now, the street is filled with traffic and new young families looking to make the community their home.

“There are people buying houses and all the old businesses. People are buying them and turning them into houses or else trying to start up a new business.”

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Rachel.May@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RachelMayFM