The Overflow Café
The Overflow CaféMichele Smeets opened The Overflow Café in February 2017. Formerly The British Shoppe, the name The Overflow Café came to her in a dream. “I saw the café filled with people and more lined up out the door. The café was literally overflowing,” she explains. Smeets ran the name past her former employer and The British Shoppe owner, Irene, who replied, “I like it! It’s kind of like your cup is overflowing!” This also explains how the café’s logo came to be an overflowing teacup.
Smeets worked at the British Shoppe for two and a half years when Irene decided to sell the business. With over twenty years of experience as a baker, cook and server, Smeets decided to take a leap of faith, purchase the business and become her own boss. “Irene made the transition easy by showing me everything I needed to know in the café, kitchen and behind the scenes. The customers have also encouraged and supported me. Everyone wants me to succeed.” Some of her most loyal customers are the staff who work at the nearby businesses.
One of the first decisions Smeets made was to remove the retail part of the shop and add additional seating. “We had people waiting in line at the door so it just made sense to add more tables.” The Overflow Café serves all-day breakfast, bangers and mash, steak and kidney pie, quiche, loaded sandwiches and salads. “For over thirty years, there has been a food establishment at this location with a loyal clientele. I wanted to keep some of the old favorites on the menu for them and I added new items to attract new customers. The menu has some healthy options too, and we currently offer take-out and have plans to add grab-and-go items like small salads and wraps.”
Smeets wants The Overflow Café to expose her customers to some of the many talented people who work and live in Sarnia-Lambton. “I want this place to overflow into the community. I want to support local artists by displaying their work in the café. I want a place for bakers and chefs to be encouraged and live out their dreams. That’s my vision.” Smeets also dreams of expanding so she can add big, comfy chairs where customers can chat and relax with a coffee and pastry. “In the near future, I plan to open for dinner and have some live, acoustic music in here. There is so much talent here in Sarnia and I would love the café to be a place to showcase it.”
For Smeets, the most rewarding part of owning The Overflow Café is getting to know her customers, seeing them happy and watching them return over and over. “I care about my customers and they care about seeing me succeed. That brings me so much joy. It feels like family just hanging out, eating and telling stories.” The Overflow Café, located in the Northgate Plaza at 850 Colbourne Road in Sarnia, is open Tuesday to Saturday 9am-4pm.
Related Stories
Rotary District 6330 Passport Club
Marsha Kalakay and Joyce Nolin-Capman believe their Rotary District 6330 Passport Club may be the future of Rotary. Rather than relying on in-person gatherings like traditional Rotary Clubs, Passport's members hook up online. It is, they insist, so much more convenient. Many of us left Rotary or
Sarnia-Lambton Alliance Against Hate
There are many things that go into assisting someone who is the victim of a hate-motivated assault, but Lindsey Travis says the number one skill is the ability to listen. We are here to help, here to listen, here to be an option for people to connect and have a space where they can talk openly ab
Olive's Casual Cuisine
Stephanie Grant and Jane Huggett have a rather unusual business relationship that seems to work perfectly for them. Stephanie, 42, and Jane, 64, began working together as waitresses at Olive's Casual Cuisine in Sarnia when the restaurant opened in 2001. When the original owner Olive Archibald deci
Goodwill Industries - Essex Kent Lambton
Since its founding in 1933, Goodwill has always been focused on the needs of the community. Our mission is to change people's lives through the power of work, and we've been doing this for 85 years, explains CEO Kevin Smith. To mark their 85th anniversary, Goodwill recently published a his
Related Stories
Donovan Woods
Canadian singer-songwriter Donovan Woods was born and raised in Sarnia. He now lives in Toronto and spends a fair amount of time in Nashville, writing for some of the industry's biggest acts. I started playing guitar and writing songs as a teenager. I didn't really play gigs in Sarnia. I star
Lambton Mutual Insurance Company
In 1875, a group of enterprising Lambton County farmers formed Lambton Mutual Insurance Company. There were very few insurers in Canada at that time, and none of them would insure these farmers, so they banded together and decided that the premiums of many would pay the losses of the few, shar
Brain Injury Association of Sarnia Lambton
The Brain Injury Association of Sarnia-Lambton (BIASL) is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping those living with the effects of an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). An ABI is damage to the brain as a result of a traumatic injury, seizure, tumor, or toxic exposure. There are 1.5 million Canadian
Playing for Charity
Playing for Charity's first annual 24 Hour Video Game Marathon was Darryl Heater's way of combining two things that he loves: video games and his community. Heater suggested the idea to Max Major, and together they created the event. We aren't runners or athletic. We wanted to take one of o
Own a local business in Sarnia-Lambton?
Your neighbours already want to spend money here. We just make it easy.
Become a #local Partner and we pay you 100% of every gift card members spend with you. It costs you nothing to join.
Free. Takes about three minutes.
