Café breathes life into Main Street

Barking Bean Café owner credits continued community support for success

Amid a worldwide pandemic, the stars have aligned for one Hantsport entrepreneur. Glenn Deering, the owner of Barking Bean Café, not only purchased and renovated a building during 2021 but expanded his business footprint significantly.

Deering first opened the café in 2019 to help fill the void following Tim Hortons’ departure from Hantsport. It was tight quarters — about 400 square feet of rented space — to operate, but he made a go of it and developed a loyal customer base.

Then the pandemic hit.

“We were lucky just to be able to survive, and (it was) only for the local support,” said Deering.

When West Hants Regional Municipality listed the former Hantsport town hall for sale, Deering began envisioning what he could do if he owned the building and jumped at the opportunity.

According to ViewPoint Realty, 20 Main St. in Hantsport was listed as 3,098 square feet, on a lot size of 10,400 square feet.

Deering was the successful applicant, and while operating his small café at 51 Main St., he worked on transforming the other building into what would become the new Barking Bean Café. It officially opened to the public during Hantsport’s evening shopping party on Dec. 2.

“Within those three hours that we were open, we had the equivalent to a full day’s sales from the old café. It was awesome,” said Deering.

The main level of the business is what Deering refers to as a mini shopping centre. It features a spacious café and seating area, a room called the ‘dog house’ that features a selection of specialty dog food, hemp terpenes and treats, a room called ‘second chances’ that features used clothing for sale, and the ‘Hantsport emporium gift and craft shop,’ which offers locally made items.