BU Cafe opens in Oakville, creating jobs for people with disabilities
A new cafe and market co-owned by Karen Drexler and her son Jacob Stretton, who has Down syndrome, is offering meaningful employment and community connection to people with disabilities.
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BU Cafe & Market, which opened in January at 77 Lakeshore Road West in Oakville, is creating jobs and community for people with disabilities after one local mother saw her son struggle to find work despite having the skills to do it.
The cafe is co-owned by Karen Drexler and her son Jacob Stretton, who has Down syndrome. After Stretton turned 18, Drexler watched him try to pursue work he loved — being a barista in a coffee shop — but received no callbacks from employers despite applying to many positions. "The hardest part was knowing he was trying so hard and he has the skills," Drexler said. "If he has good training and he's shown what to do, he's able to do it. So just the fact that nobody was giving him that opportunity, it was heartbreaking."
Stretton attended Mohawk College's Community Integration through Cooperative Education (CICE) program, which prepares students with intellectual disabilities for post-secondary education and entry-level work. That experience sparked the idea for the cafe.
During the pandemic, Stretton launched BU Candles, a hand-crafted soy candle business built around the phrase "Be You" — inspired by Drexler's frequent advice to her son to just be himself rather than try to emulate characters he loved. The candle business, which sells across Canada, the U.S., and internationally, gave Stretton a platform to create and connect with customers. But Drexler knew he wanted more social interaction.
"He's very social and he loves interacting with people and having that community piece," Drexler said. The cafe brings that vision to life, offering people with disabilities a real place to work, learn, build confidence, and be part of the community.
