Anastasiia Alieksieiehuk was just a few weeks into running her independent coffee trailer in Toronto when she started receiving tickets from bylaw officers, who told the young entrepreneur that her vehicle didn’t meet the requirements for a motorized vehicle — putting her dreams of running her own business at jeopardy.
The retro-style trailer is a product of Alieksieiehuk’s interior design background, with its twinkling lights, colourful rotation of flowers, and open concept inspired by the elegance of European culture.
Aside from its charming aesthetic, the trailer serves up a variety of fluffy pastries, teas, seasonal drinks, and of course, piping hot coffee.
Alieksieiehuk first arrived in Canada two years ago from Ukraine and immediately began to crave the coffee shop and bakery culture she knew and loved in Europe. Despite barely speaking English, she tells blogTO that she was motivated to open up her own business.
“When I shared my idea with my previous boss, she was like, ‘Oh, you can’t do that. You don’t even know anything about this country, and you don’t speak English,'” she explained.
“It got me worried, like maybe I’m actually jumping over my head, but I had support from my friends, and I am pretty stubborn. When I believe in something, I have to do it, no matter how much it will cost me.”
Over the next few months, Alieksieiehuk studied English and saved up for her dream coffee trailer.
“At the time, I already had like four jobs, and all my money was going towards the trailer. I was alone in all of this. Nobody could give me advice, you have to sacrifice your relationships or your family,” she said.
Against all odds — and after several months of preparation — the entrepreneur successfully opened up her business, Wheels & Co. Beans. Despite this, Alieksieiehuk began running into issues with competitors and the City almost immediately after opening.
Alieksieiehuk’s trailer is technically classified as a non-motorized vehicle, although she operates it in a mobile manner and moves the shop around the city regularly.
However, she argues that current regulations don’t recognize this form of mobility, leaving the business without the rights and privileges granted to traditional food trucks.
“I’m not motorized, but it’s attached to my vehicle, which is motorized,” she told blogTO, arguing that the city lacks clear regulations for her unique operational model and that existing bylaws fail to address non-motorized trailers, putting businesses like hers at a significant disadvantage.
As a result, Alieksieiehuk has launched a petition to urge City officials and lawmakers to make specific amendments, including the recognition of non-motorized food trailers and establishing clear definitions that recognize non-motorized food trailers as mobile vendors, similar to food trucks.
According to the City’s website, individuals need to obtain a motorized refreshment vehicle owner licence and mobile food vending permit to be able to operate a food truck.
Once approved, individuals can then operate on private property and commercial parking lots with the permission of the owner in areas that allow food trucks, on public roads with a mobile vending permit, as well as Green P parking lots (with a Green P permit).
Per the city, no more than two food trucks are permitted per block, and any one truck has a maximum of five hours at one time. Parking meter fees must also be paid, and trucks must be station at least 30 linear metres from an open and operating restaurant.
Following the complaints, Alieksieiehuk decided to move her trailer over to the University of Toronto St. George campus in front of Robarts Library. However, she continued to receive tickets and visits from bylaw officers, as other food trucks competed to take over the desirable spot.
“They started giving me so many tickets. At first, it was like $600, next it was $700, and another one was a court date with up to a $5,000 ticket,” she told blogTO.
“I had too much stress when everything was going on, and on top of this, the bylaw officers, courts, and people are just ready to kill each other for that spot. I just don’t think I can do this any longer.”
blogTO has reached out to the City for more information regarding the specific tickets issued to the business.
As a result, Alieksieiehuk is only planning on operating for a few more weeks, before taking a much-deserved break and working out her next steps.
Next year, she says she will focus on revamping the trailer with new materials, possibly participating in more private events, or finding a permanent spot in the downtown core.
Despite all the trials and tribulations that have come with owning a business, Alieksieiehuk says her loyal customers have made it all worth it.
“I can say that I have such a great relationship with all my customers. Every time someone comes to my coffee shop and they would like to change anything, add anything, make it sweeter, make it less sweet, make it stronger, I always ask. I make sure that they actually like it before they leave,” she said.
“I honestly was so attached to people who were my regulars for three months. I just didn’t want to lose it. My customers are still supporting me as much as they can. One customer brought me a teddy bear from her lecture. These people are actually keeping me going because I was about to give up, many times.”
At the time of this article’s publication, her petition has amassed 50 signatures, with comments from University of Toronto students in support.
