The owner of Crazy Lady’s Cafeteria, Susanne Keck, recently received a lease termination letter from her landlords, which is forcing her to close their doors for good on May 31.
Crazy Lady’s Cafeteria first moved into the building at 8 1st Avenue SW in Carman, where the old bakery was in November of 2017, and renovated it to its needs. They have operated the business since, until recently, when they got the termination letter.
“We received a lease termination letter from our landlords because of building issues,” said Keck. “We told our landlords (Kuric Property from Winnipeg) multiple times that so much needs to be fixed, and they certainly didn’t do that. An insurance inspection revealed that the building is in really bad shape, and they wouldn’t pay if we put in a claim.”
“It’s understanding from our side because the landlords haven’t done a lot, and what they did wasn’t very much. Now we have to close. The landlords told us they would renovate it, but then we have to pay basically triple the amount of what we pay now. So we have to close on May 31.”
The more significant issues with the building started in the spring of 2018 when they had the first heavy rains. The restaurant had water coming through the roof, and the landlords promised to fix that. Some companies came and did some work, but it never got fixed properly.
“One time, the water came right through the electric panel, and then they hired another company, but it still wasn’t fixed properly,” said Keck. “We then addressed the issue with the back wall, as there was no insulation, a rotten outside wall and no siding. They said they would come next spring and fix it and never did.”
In the meantime, the landlords continued to buy more buildings in Carman. But to Keck, they said they have no money to fix things like the water and back wall issues.
“During the pandemic, the walk-in freezer door became crooked. We got a company, Controlled Air, from Winkler, in to fix it, but they said no repairs would work because the floor is totally unlevel. The landlord has to fix the floor first before they can address the door. So we contacted the landlord, and they told us we had to remove the walk-in cooler and freezer so they could fix it.”
Keck spent $12,000 to Controlled Air to dismantle and assemble the walk-in freezer and cooler so the landlord could fix the floor. However, now the floor is crooked again, as before, and they got a report from the health inspector because the freezer door is not closing again.
“We got our yearly inspection from the insurance company, and they said they won’t cover if there is a claim. I sent letters to the landlords and thought, now they have to fix it, but no, they gave us a termination letter. We told them a lot of times to fix things, that this shouldn’t have gone this far, but they never did.”
The landlords told Keck, “We can’t fix it with you in it, but when we are finished, you can come back and rent it for $3,500.”
“All in all, we spent roughly $60,000 in that building, and getting kicked out is a little harsh,” said Keck.
Despite Keck’s hardships, she is glad that she has gotten to run her business for as long as she has in Carman and build countless relationships.
She moved to Carman in 2011 and did not know anyone when she first came to town. Keck ran the Carman Collegiate canteen for four years before opening Crazy Lady’s Cafeteria in 2018.
“I love my customers, and at our store, everyone is welcome. We celebrated so many birthdays in our little cafe. We did wedding anniversaries and funerals, weddings, graduations, grand openings, paint nights, cookie decoration workshops, ukulele sessions, and much more. We are a store where you come in, and we know most of the names, habits, preferences, dislikes, and when you need a hug.”
One of the best moments from Keck’s time with Crazy Lady’s Cafeteria comes from one fantastic anonymous donor.
“In December of 2020, a gentleman came into the store and asked me how many Christmas dinners I had sold. At first, I thought it was none of his business, but then he explained himself and he wanted to pay for all those meals to make people happy in the times of the pandemic. And he did. The customers got a surprise, and it was my best Christmas, to tell people that they don’t have to pay. We had lots of tears and laughter that Christmas Day. During Christmas of 2021, he did the same thing, and to this day, he wants to stay anonymous.”
Keck has recently checked into a few buildings in Carman to move to potentially, but she just doesn’t have the funds to start all over again.
“There is more work involved than just moving in. We have to make it food-safe, as lots of the old buildings don’t have enough power, and we need new plumbing, flooring, ceilings, and so much more.”
If this is the end of Crazy Lady’s Cafeteria as we know it, let’s try to support Keck as much as possible before she shuts down her doors at the end of May.
