A Sanctuary Cafe Logo with botanical border

The Third Newsletter!

October 27, 2022| Issue 3

Wonderful pastries from French Press made for our August 31 Open House!

Events Recap: Abutter and Beacon Hill Civic Association Presentations, An Open House, & NEIBA Book Conference

Hello Friends,


Apologies for the long delay between newsletters; the last few weeks have been full of events! We are pleased to announce that there was no opposition to our project during the September 29 Abutter Meeting or our presentation to the Beacon Hill Civic Association’s Zoning and Licensing Committee. This means we are one step closer to getting zoning relief (a big part of our permit application) and starting construction! The final meeting in the series is with the Zoning Board of Appeals and is currently scheduled for December 6. If you’re a local resident and would like to help us get approved, please scroll down to find an easy-to-submit letter of support for our project. We are so grateful for the enthusiastic community support we continue to receive!


We also want to thank everyone who joined us at the August 31 Open House! We were blown away by the number of attendees and quite impressed by all of the thoughtful, intelligent questions that were asked. Thanks for the wonderful conversations!


Confession: We were so excited by the turnout—and unrealistically determined to speak with everyone we could—that we completely failed to take any photos during the event itself. We did take photos of French Press’ gorgeous creations before the event (scroll back up to take another look!), and a photo of the aftermath, which we are happy to share here!

Nearly empty food platters: the universal measure of a good event!

Thank you to NEIBA (the New England Independent Booksellers Association) for an amazing Fall Conference! We collected far too many books and can’t wait to read them (under Kampbell’s strict supervision)! 

Want to see more event photos?

Even more updates on what we’re reading? We’re finally on Instagram!

Follow us @asanctuarycafe

Still Impatiently Waiting for Us to Open? (Us Too!) Beacon Hill Residents Can Help!


We are very excited to have finally made it onto the schedule for a Zoning Board of Appeals hearing, and if you live in Beacon Hill, you can help us get through this step! The ZBA will factor in letters of support when making their decision on granting us the zoning relief we need to have cats and a cafe at 80 Charles Street. If you live in the neighborhood, please consider clicking the button below! 

Send a Letter of Support

Currently Reading

Happy-Go-Lucky by David Sedaris

Dirtbag, Massachusetts by Isaac Fitzgerald

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

Visit Our Bookshop.org Storefront!

New decor and updated signage

at 80 Charles Street.

Another Season, Another Window Display


Summer is officially over, and our window display is celebrating the changing seasons with a more autumnal color scheme, including beautifully preserved beech tree branches and a rotating selection of great Fall reads. 




One of our favorite things about opening A Sanctuary Cafe on Charles Street is getting to join the community of amazing businesses that are already here! This window display would not be possible without Rouvalis Flowers (the incredible selection of foliage and flowers), Upstairs Downstairs Antiques (the wonderful side tables and antique basket), Blackstone’s of Beacon Hill (the charming black cat tea towel) and Dave Poutre Fine Framing’s ongoing help with framing our signs. Thank you for existing and for being so great at what you do! 

Important Dates


Boston Book Festival

Copley Square

Saturday, October 29

10:45 am - 6:00 pm


Halloween on the Hill

Various Streets in Beacon Hill

Monday, October 31

Street Closures from 4:00 - 8:00 pm


Zoning Board of Appeals Hearing

Tuesday, December 6

9:30 am


In Our Next Newsletter


  • Why We’ve Decided to Have Permanent Resident Cats Instead of Adoptable Cats
  • Books!
  • Halloween on Charles Street





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A Sanctuary Cafe logo with book, cat and coffee pot