Boa and Hare recently opened in Chinatown at 9700 105th Avenue. This ambitious food and drink establishment held a “soft launch” in February, offering coffee and a test menu of sandwiches and salad, including braised pork, edamame, and scrambled eggs and Spam.

Plans are for the location to be a coffee shop and bar. “A place where you can start your day, and a place where you end your night,” says co-owner Wilson Wong. 

The fully renovated space features high-end espresso machines, a full kitchen, seating for 34 people, and lovely lantern light fixtures.

The three co-owners – Wilson Wong, William Chen, and William’s sister Winnie Chen (an award-winning chef) – hope to revitalize the Chinatown area by attracting younger diners. 

The name Boa and Hare is Wilson and William’s respective Chinese zodiac signs, Snake and Rabbit.

Young Entrepreneurs Championing Chinatown

William Chen and Wilson Wong met in 2009, in a Japanese class at MacEwan University. They soon became best friends and later business partners. These two young entrepreneurs are now active participants in the movement to revitalize and develop Edmonton’s Chinatown.

Two years ago, Chen and Wong took over the Van Loc sandwich shop after the previous owner retired. Their second business, Boa and Hare, is just now getting established. They employ over 20 young people who speak a range of different languages, and organized the ambitious Van bLoc party on 98th Street last June and are planning a second one on June 7-8, 2025.

Chen was recently named chair of the Edmonton Chinatown Business Improvement Area (BIA), which states on its website, “Welcome to your new Chinatown.” The BIA includes veteran business owners and new ones, all committed to enhancing safety and security, and to encouraging Edmontonians and tourists to visit. One of the BIA’s underlying goals is to change the negative perceptions of Chinatown. 

Current activities, Chen says, focus on dialogue with the McCauley community, with related organizations such as the Chinatown Transformation Collaborative Society (CTC), and with non-profit and social agencies such as Hope Mission. By working together, the various groups have created many events and projects. And more are in the plans, Chen says. He cites, as just some examples, the Chinatown Summer and mid-Autumn Festivals, the Edmonton Dragon Festival, Edmonton Chinatown Dining Week, Chinatown After Dark, Van Loc’s block party, Lunar New Year celebrations, and several beautiful murals.

Wong is a bit of a philosopher about business ventures. “It is never really about money or transactions,” he says. “We have to work for a roof over our head, but that can happen only if you build relationships with the community - with customers and with banks, and with other businesses. You serve without expectations.”

Wong is also inspired by the nearly unlimited and global possibilities that the internet offers. For this ambitious and positive “dude,” as he likes to call himself, the future is bright.

The final word from Wong: “Everyone is in sales.” In other words, business is part of promoting a new Chinatown, but everyone in the broader community also has a role in getting the word out.

Anita Jenkins is a retired writer and editor who lives in Boyle Street.