Food, furniture ‘really complement each other’

People shopping for furniture at Winnipeg’s largest mall will soon be able to quaff a coffee and partake in a pastry while they consider acquiring a couch.

Local restaurant chain Stella’s is opening a café inside local furniture manufacturer EQ3’s flagship store in CF Polo Park. The renovated café will be located in the former EQ3 Bistro space and is scheduled to open early next month.

“We’re at (EQ3’s) flagship store and we would consider this our flagship Stella’s Café,” said Rob Del Grosso, vice-president of operations at Stella’s.

Best known for its seven restaurants, Stella’s opened its first café location, a 30-seat spot at 1699 Corydon Ave., in December 2022. Its focus is on a grab-and-go area featuring paninis, sandwiches, salads and freshly baked goods. The EQ3 location will offer similar items and the menu will feature wine, beer and mocktails.

It will have 46 seats and employ 10 to 15 people, Del Grosso said.

He was at the café on Friday morning as employees from Connelly Signs installed a sign bearing the Stella’s name.

EQ3 contacted Stella’s in July to see if the company was interested in opening a location in the 1,500-square-foot space.

Since EQ3 is based in Winnipeg, it made sense to find a partner also headquartered in the city, said Allison Dineen, vice-president of marketing at Palliser Furniture Ltd., EQ3’s parent company.

“EQ3 is known for modern home furnishings — products that bring a feeling of comfort to those that encounter them — and Stella’s to us represents that feeling of comfort you get as well,” Dineen said. “Both of our brands I believe are very well-known and they just really complement each other quite nicely from that perspective.”

EQ3’s first store opened on St. James Street in 2001. Three years later, the company relocated to a 10,000-square-foot building on the parking lot of CF Polo Park, near Portage Avenue.

It moved into its current location, a 43,000-sq.-ft. retail space in what was once Sears, in 2021. Locally owned restaurant Deer + Almond operated an eatery in the store for a time. When it left, EQ3 ran its own bistro until shutting it down last summer, which made way for Stella’s.

The store is the largest of EQ3’s 11 retail locations in Canada and the only one that includes a restaurant.

“Over time, it became obvious to us that we wanted to find a local partner … that could take it and make it their own,” Dineen said. “We’re eager to bring Stella’s customers to us and we’re eager to share our brand with them and vice versa.

“We’re hoping it’s going to bring new life and new customer relationships into the space.”

Stella’s began in 1999 on Osborne Street. In addition to its seven restaurants, it operates Kevin’s Bistro in the Exchange District. The company is scheduled to open a joint Kevin’s Bistro/Stella’s Café location at 1100 Corydon Ave. in March.

A recent study out of Dalhousie University in Halifax shows 7,000 restaurants closed in Canada in 2025. The study found more than 4,000 restaurants across the country could go out of business this year.

Consumers cutting back their spending amidst financial pressure and the rising popularity of take-out and delivery are among the reasons why the industry has struggled in recent years.

Although Stella’s employs around 300 people and is expanding, the company is not immune to those struggles, Del Grosso said. Still, he added, providing customers with fresh food made using locally-sourced ingredients “seems to be a bit of a winning formula for us.”

CF Polo Park is excited about Stella’s opening a café in the mall, said Peter Havens, general manager.

“It’s great to bring a local offering like Stella’s to Polo Park,” he said. “We’re very proud to have it here.”

“It’s great to bring a local offering like Stella’s to Polo Park. We’re very proud to have it here.”

The mall receives more than 11 million visitors annually, Havens said. Last year, retail pharmacy chain London Drugs opened a location, as did fashion retailer Ardene. Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo is set to open a store in the mall this spring.

“As we continue to drive new and exciting tenants like that, it just brings a lot more to Winnipeg and into the market,” Havens said.

EQ3 will mark its 25th anniversary this year, Dineen noted. The company will be introducing new products and brands to its stores in the coming months, including new dining room furniture, bedding and lighting.

“This Stella’s location is kind of the cherry on top for us.”

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca

Aaron Epp
Reporter

Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. Read more about Aaron.

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