Tucked into the corner of Old Vic, Caffiends has cozily nestled itself into the Vic community. A bright space filled with hues of brown, yellow, and pink, Caffiends exudes warmth. While the room is easy to miss if you’re unfamiliar with the space, once you’ve found it, you’ll never want to leave.
Caffiends offers more than just coffee—it’s a place of connection and community. As an introverted person, I was nervous to start my shifts at Caffiends; there are so many experienced people who volunteer at the café, people who have been at the University for years and have such a clear understanding of themselves and their community. I had no idea how I would function in this space, and talking to strangers for an hour every week felt daunting. But what I found in my first shift—and every shift since—is that the people of Caffiends are amazing. Sometimes, covering a shift feels like speed dating: you have one hour to become acquainted with the other two volunteers, to learn their interests, strengths, and music tastes, and then you go your separate ways. It’s exciting to meet all these different people and know that you have a connection, or at the very least, some common ground. I haven’t found that same connection anywhere else in the University.
But meeting other volunteers isn’t the only way in which Caffiends has helped me find community. I love seeing every person who comes into the café: I love seeing my old professors, or the friend of a friend of a friend. I love seeing the regulars and memorizing their orders (but never their names). There’s a certain interconnectedness to it all. At the end of the day, everyone who steps into our tiny room is a caffiend.
I’m in my fourth year now, and I’ve yet to figure out what makes Caffiends so special. After all, Caffiends is a job you don’t get paid for—so why do people keep coming back? Why do people cover multiple shifts per week, or spend so much time in the café? Maybe it’s because of the communal feeling. Maybe it’s because of our awesome mugs (Nicholas Cage mug, I’m looking at you). Whatever it is, I appreciate it. I’m grateful for all my experiences at Caffiends and all of the interesting, intelligent people I have met as a result.
Caffiends recently opened its doors for the first time since March 2020, and things look a lot different. We’re not able to use our favourite quirky mugs, we’re separated by face shields and plexiglass, and we’re missing many of our long-time volunteers. I was worried that things may have changed too much, and that the café had lost its spark. But in the first hour of my first day on shift, my old professor—who used to be a regular on my shifts back in 2019—came in for a cup of coffee. I have no idea what this year will hold, but I’m so excited to spend it at Caffiends, and I hope you will join me.
