St. James coffee shop Joe Black not for sale, owner says
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/01/2025 (260 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A notable café near Assiniboine Park was briefly listed for sale following a temporary closure by provincial health inspectors and an exodus of staff.
On Tuesday, Joe Black Coffee & Bar at 2037 Portage Ave. was posted online for $199,900. The listing advertised an “exceptional business opportunity” and a turn-key operation with a “long-standing reputation.”
After a Free Press inquiry to the owner, the listing was removed Wednesday.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES
Joe Black Coffee & Bar on Portage Avenue was posted for sale online Tuesday for $199,900. The listing was removed Wednesday.
“I have no idea why Joe Black is on sale,” Devarshi Shah said. “I’m running it, and I’m going to run it.”
Joe Black reopened Jan. 17, after a roughly 10-day closure incited by a health inspection.
At the time, inspectors found evidence of rodents and food being prepared in insanitary conditions. The province was tipped off by a former employee, Shah said Wednesday.
Cleaning and pest control companies were brought in, he said. Health officials approved the Winnipeg shop for operation Jan. 16.
Shah has been the owner since Nov. 5, 2024. The previous owner, Gina Gerbasi, operated Joe Black for 9 1/2 years.
Upwards of 10 employees — a majority — left Joe Black in November after the ownership change, citing various workplace and management issues, former staff told the Free Press.
“I’m trying to understand the business, I’m trying to understand the inventory, I’m trying to understand the profit and loss,” Shah said. “I’m only focused on (the) positive. (I’ll) focus on my customers, focus on going upward and onward.”
Joanne Keeping, an area resident and regular customer of Joe Black, considers the business a “landmark” in St. James. “I sure hope that things stabilize,” she said.
Joe Black’s real estate agent did not respond to interview requests by print deadline.
gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com
Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle.
Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Gabrielle Piché reports on business for the Free Press. She interned at the Free Press and worked for its sister outlet, Canstar Community News, before entering the business beat in 2021. Read more about Gabrielle.
Every piece of reporting Gabrielle produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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