Lil Hil’s heading ‘home’ soon

By Mark Ribble

It’s been a week of bittersweet emotions for Hilary Hodgson and her staff at Lil Hil’s Coffee Shop in Wheatley.

After 19 months operating away from their usual home at 13 Talbot Street West, they are one step closer to “going home”. They wrapped up a 17-month residency at Talbot Trail Golf Course on Thursday, March 30 and look forward to getting up and running soon at their usual location.

According to Hodgson, she’s hoping to be operational by the first of May, which coincidentally would be seven years to the day of her original opening.

“We’ve almost become professional movers with all the moving around we’ve done,” she says. “Soon we’ll be back home.”

After the August 26, 2021 explosion in downtown Wheatley abruptly put a halt to her thriving coffee shop and restaurant, Lil Hil’s opened up with a temporary outdoor tent at Taylor Fish in September of 2021, but the fall weather forced her to make another move two months later.

She landed on her feet at Talbot Trail in November of that year and has been sharing that space with the golf course and the Wheatley Legion ever since.

“I am grateful to every single person in Wheatley who has supported us,” she said. “From Taylor Fish to Talbot Trail to everyone in between.”

She says the support and work of her landlords has been amazing throughout as well.

“Randy and Penny Loxton, Tim and Stephany Mercer and the entire Mercer family have all been phenomenal through all of this,” she said. “If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t have a home to go back to.”

Hilary says the coffee shop is in the midst of a complete renovation, but will still have that downhome coffee shop feeling that regulars have been used to for years.

Coffee shop regular George Christiansen says he’s been a regular customer of Lil Hil’s for years and the staff is always happy to see him.

“I enjoy coming here and if anyone is looking for me, they can usually find me at Lil Hil’s,” he says.

That down-home close knit community feeling is what Hilary and her staff have become accustomed to and she’s looking forward to returning to where that all started.

“We’re grateful to have the opportunity to keep doing what we love,” she said. “There’s lots to do but we’re looking forward to it. Our insurance company (Kent-Essex Mutual) has been amazing to us.”

As they turn the page on another chapter, Hodgson and her dedicated staff will keep busy over the next month getting their “home” ready for a reopening.

It’s a turn of the page she is looking forward to as her neighbours — iScreams — are preparing to reopen as well.

“We need to get life back into the uptown,” she says. “Just seeing life uptown will bring people so much joy.”

And that’s what it’s all about for Hilary Hodgson – bringing joy to her customers.

And as challenging as the past 19 months have been for Hilary, her staff and her customers, she’s excited to see what

Wheatley becomes in the future.

“I hope that is sooner rather than later,” she says.

Hilary Hodgson serves up one of her last cups of coffee at the Talbot Trail Golf Course to regular customer George Christiansen. SUN photo