For Valerie and Karim Ouertani, opening a café was a dream they wanted to pursue for a long time. Having lived in Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood for most of their lives, it was exactly where they wanted to start their dream.
The main problem was finding the right location. When the old house at the corner of Lacombe and Gatineau became available in 2013, the husband-and-wife team dropped everything and jumped on it. After two months of renovating to restore the house’s vintage look and feel, Caravane Café opened for business.
“When we first got this place it didn't look like this at all. We had to restore everything,” says Valerie. “It's one of the first houses in the neighbourhood. It was built in 1905, so it has a lot of history.”
