Duncan Garage History

Duncan Garage Cafe Building Downtown Duncan Coffee Shop

There's a lot of history packed into these bricks!

Before it was home to warm bread, good coffee, and neighbourhood conversation, this building had another kind of energy — the hum of engines, the smell of grease, and the whirr of an air-powered lift (invented in-house, no less).

The Origin Story

The Duncan Garage first opened in 1913, right here at 330 Duncan Street. It was built by Norman Corfield — one of seven sons from a local dairy farming family who helped shape the early Cowichan Valley. In 1911, at just 24 years old, Norman became the first person to drive a car over the Malahat — a route previously only travelled by horse. That same bold spirit drove the creation of what would become one of the most complete garages on Vancouver Island.

For 70 years, Duncan Garage was a hub of movement and innovation. It sold everything from Tudhopes to Fords, operated the region’s first ambulance and hearse, and even ran a 7-passenger stagecoach line to Victoria. There was a full-service mechanic shop, a school bus, and a fire truck no one else could drive but Norman himself.

Shifting Gears

By the 1950s, the Duncan Garage had grown into one of the largest automotive operations on Vancouver Island, with locations from Victoria to Campbell River. But by the early ‘80s, the gas crunch and economic shifts took their toll. The garage closed its doors in 1983 — leaving behind a legacy that still lives in the bones of this building. The space changed hands and purposes for a while — from windows to art studios — until a new kind of fuel started flowing through the space: coffee, conversation, and community.

In 2002, Susan Minette opened a small organic café out in Glenora, tucked inside the old farm store. That café eventually moved into the Duncan Garage building in 2012. She named it the Corfield Café, in honour of Norman Corfield — but folks in town just started calling it “the Garage Café,” and the name stuck.

In 2024, the café was purchased by Matt, Casey, Brennan, and Emrey — a new team carrying on the spirit of community, creativity, and real, nourishing food in this old building with deep roots.

In 2025, Matt, Casey, Brennan, and Emrey purchased the old Garage building — ready to carry its legacy forward with fresh energy and care.

More than a century since the first bricks were laid, the Duncan Garage is still a place where people gather, create, and connect. The tools have changed, but the heart of the place is the same.

We’re proud to call it home.