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![\"AARON](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/4337499_web1_2026-06-23---Parlour-02.jpg\")
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AARON EPP \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
Connor Vogt, owner of Parlour Coffee, will close the long-running 468 Main St., location on Friday. Vogt will open a new coffee shop called Passage at 474 Main St., next month.<\/p>\n
While Parlour is between 400 and 500 square feet and can fit around 20 people, Passage will be more than double the size, with room for around 50 customers. Renovations are currently under way in the building, which is owned by Vogt\u2019s father Ernie. (He also owns 468 Main St.)<\/p>\n
Vogt did not disclose how much he\u2019s spending to get the new shop ready. The entrepreneur is aiming for a rustic industrial look \u2014 think brick-faced walls and an exposed beam ceiling \u2014 with a warm, inviting feel. Windows on two sides of the building offer plenty of natural light, and a large wall behind the counter will be decorated with work by local artists.<\/p>\n
Beyond serving coffee, the shop will host live music, artist-led workshops and pop ups by local vintage stores. The basement includes a meeting space as well as a workshop where Vogt and a few collaborators are working on a line of furniture also called Passage.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo much of our life is built on the work of artists and we need to support that,\u201d Vogt said. \u201cThat\u2019s the ethos here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vogt purchased Parlour Coffee from original owner Nils Vik toward the end of 2023.<\/p>\n
Vik, a former EQ3 furniture designer, opened the shop in September 2011. He was at the forefront of the third wave coffee movement in Winnipeg, which brought the likes of Thom Bargen, Fools and Horses, and Caf\u00e9 Postal.<\/p>\n
Vik aimed to create a community atmosphere in the small caf\u00e9 and decided against offering WiFi to discourage people from using electronic devices. In the early days, a note at the end of the menu on the wall behind the counter encouraged customers to talk to their neighbours.<\/p>\n
Vogt, meanwhile, is a former competitive swimmer and cook who grew up in East St. Paul. After graduating from the University of Manitoba\u2019s Asper School of Business, he worked in wealth management and accounting before returning to school for a year to study philosophy.<\/p>\n
Vogt moved to the Exchange District nine years ago, and got to know Vik while visiting Parlour Coffee. When Vik expressed interest in selling the shop, Vogt saw an opportunity.<\/p>\n
However, while Vogt was initially inspired by Vik\u2019s vision, he struggled as the owner of a business built by someone else.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was very grateful (to take over Parlour), but it was also very heavy because I didn\u2019t want to disrupt the thing that people already loved,\u201d he said. \u201cI found it very hard to find my place there in terms of bringing my perspective and my energy into things while trying to learn how to run a business and be a leader for people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now he\u2019s ready to close Parlour and open Passage.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt took me so long to feel comfortable with myself and express myself authentically,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve finally found some sense of peace over the last six to eight months and I can be myself and I can try to do things my way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vogt plans to open the shop during the week of July 12. Many businesses in the Exchange District close at 5 p.m., he said, but Passage will be open late so people in the neighbourhood have somewhere to hang out in the evening.<\/p>\n
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Across the street, the general manager at Across the Board Game Caf\u00e9 is looking forward to having a new neighbour.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m happy that businesses are able to thrive enough that they can move into a bigger space,\u201d said Hilary James. \u201cI think it\u2019s good for us. Technically, we (both) sell coffee, so we\u2019re all sort of competitors, but we\u2019re pretty different in our business model.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added Passage\u2019s extended hours are a good idea.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe often will get people (saying), \u2018There\u2019s nothing open anymore,\u2019\u201d James said. \u201cIt\u2019ll be good to have more people in the area (open) later.\u201d<\/p>\n
aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n
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Aaron Epp 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Aaron produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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