Nice to meet you!

My name is Audra, and my husband Haritha and I started daydreaming about owning this building from the moment we first saw the listing, and the fact that this has come true doesn't entirely feel real yet. We got the keys in August 2022, and -- after a year of renovations -- opened our doors in September 2023 as a spot for groceries, gifts, and the post office. Six months later, we were approved to put in seating -- making us a full-fledged (and fully accessible!!) cafe as well!

We have in-house baked goods, soup and sandwiches, and bookish and progressive curios our customers love. Our space, and our little village, is a beautiful spot to spend some time. Come for a latte, come for a snack, or come for a browse.

Haritha spent ten years in the hospitality industry in Toronto, eventually taking on management roles at busy bars and restaurants. Three years ago he launched a company called Temperance Tonics, where he produces alcohol-free cocktail kits and is soon publishing a recipe book. Haritha grew up in Toronto, and his first visit to Nova Scotia was in September 2021. During that trip, he fell completely in love with the South Shore, and we immediately started making a plan to move here together.

In addition to helping out in the shop where I can, I am a full-time writer for a public sector union. I have also been an ASL interpreter, a newspaper columnist, a political speechwriter, and the staff writer for a not-for-profit community and events space. I spent my 20's living in Nova Scotia (four years in Annapolis Royal, a year in Kentville, and then four years in Halifax) before I had to return to Ontario for work. I hated leaving the Maritimes, and I was always determined to come back as soon as I could.  

We are so happy to have made our home in Port Medway, where we live above the store with our many cats. ❤ You can reach us at contact@rosefinch.co. We will get back to you as soon as we can!

Note: Rosefinch Mercantile & Tea Room is located in Mi’kma’ki , the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People. This land is governed by the treaties of Peace and Friendship, first signed by the Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqey, Peskotomuhkatiyik, and the British Crown in 1726.

These treaties did not implicate or affirm the surrender or transfer of land to the British, but recognized Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqey title and set the rules for what was to be a long-standing relationship between nations, initially preventing war and facilitating trade.

We recognize that we are all treaty people and have responsibilities to each other and this land. We also recognize the 400+ year history of communities of African descent and the 50 African Nova Scotian communities throughout the region today.