Staff at a Nanaimo coffee shop are still reeling from a tragedy, but they’re eager to get back to serving their community.
This Saturday, March 26th, Buzz Coffee House in Nanaimo is set to reopen after a homicide closed the Rutherford Road café for weeks.
“We’re doing okay. It’s been over a month now, so we need to start moving around again,” Buzz Coffee House co-owner Phil Baker told Victoria Buzz.
It was back on February 12th when Baker’s grandfather, 79-year-old Eric Kutzner, was working a shift at the café. That morning, Nanaimo RCMP were called to do a well-being check on him.
Officers arrived around 9 a.m. and found Kutzner deceased.
There was also another man on scene, 29-year-old James Turok, who has since been charged with one count of 2nd degree murder in the case.
“This was a random incident with a tragic outcome,” said police.
RCMP issued a statement on behalf of Kutzner’s family, who said he volunteered and advocated for people with disabilities. He’s being remembered as a vibrant member of society.
“My grandpa was (working) with us for probably the last three years,” recalled Baker.
Baker’s now thanking the community for helping the Buzz Coffee House family pull through difficult times, though there’s still a ways to go.
“It’s really heartwarming and touching to have our community come together and support us when we needed it most,” he said.
“It’s a really good reminder as to why we do this—and it’s the people. We wouldn’t have been in this game for as long as we have been if we didn’t have such wonderful people supporting us in their day-to-day.”
According to Baker, the family-owned business is heading into its 7th year.
A GoFundMe campaign, Support for Buzz Family through Tragedy, was launched just days after the incident by café supervisor Kyah Hands, who sums up the community support in just one word—incredible.
“We’ve kind of all been taking it at our own speed,” noted Hands.
“It’s definitely been a lot of hurdles for everyone. The community’s been really helpful, so that’s been really helpful for sure. They’ve offered a lot of resources for us, which we’ve all really appreciated.”
So far, the GoFundMe has raked in over $17,500. Initial funds raised aimed to support the business through the closure and subsequent steps forward.
“I was absolutely flabbergasted to see everyone come together. We were not expecting anything like that. It was really, really amazing,” said Hands.
Come Saturday, Buzz Coffee House returns to its regular hours.
Hands adds that customers will notice some familiar faces working behind the counter mixed in with a bunch of fresh new faces as well.
“And we’ve got a couple of people from way back that have returned for moral support—so everyone’s coming together for a new team.”
