Toronto venue Cafeteria fundraiser launched following robbery

Toronto venue Cafeteria was robbed this past weekend.

The Dupont Street club said there was a break in early on 1st August and “all of our sound equipment and DJ gear (except for the speaker stacks) was stolen, along with our entire stock of alcohol.” The independent grassroots venue run by Invisible City Record Shop’s Gary Abugan (who DJs as Invisible City and heads the reissue label Invisible City Editions) Juice‘s Dylan Cimini is now fundraising to get the equipment it needs to continue operating. Within one day, the GoFundMe campaign is just shy of its $15,000CAD goal at time of writing. 

“We’re still in shock, but we’re doing everything we can to gather the gear we need to keep operating. Unfortunately, this loss places an enormous financial strain on us”, the Cafeteria team wrote on GoFundMe. “…As small business owners, we’ve invested everything into Cafeteria and have yet to recoup our initial investment. This space has always been a labour of love, a hub for music, community, and culture, and we’re committed to keeping it alive.”

Among the stolen equipment are two Pioneer CDJs 2000NXS2 and Technics SL-1200MK2 turntables, Pioneer DJM-A9 and Pioneer DJM-900NXS mixers.

“Most of the DJ gear was owned by Invisible City Record Shop and has its logo stickered on each piece”, the team wrote. “If you see any of this equipment being resold or have any leads, please contact us immediately. The incident has been reported, and there is an active investigation underway, we’re desperate to recover our stolen gear.”

A fundraising party is also in the works, with details to be announced. 

Cafeteria opened last summer in the Junction Triangle neighbourhood and has recently hosted the likes of Ciel, Young Teesh, Ariel Zetina, Playgirl, Swan Meat and Total Freedom.

Support the GoFundMe here, and read the venue’s statement below.