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Standing inside the restored Simmons Building in the East Village on Friday night, Mayor Naheed Nenshi offered some unconventional encouragement to the three new tenants of the historic building.

“This building will continue to be the heart of the East Village,” he said.

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“It will continue to write the next chapter for the East Village, and in particular, our tenants have the enormous responsibility.”

“Welcome to the community, welcome to the East Village,” Nenshi continued.

“Don’t screw it up.”

He was referring to Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters, charbar and Sidewalk Citizen Bakery, the first three businesses to take up residence in the 103-year-old former mattress factory that sits along Riverwalk in the East Village.

Photo by Gavin Young / Calgary Herald

The cafe, restaurant and bakery open to the public on Saturday, and owners say they’re thrilled to be able to bring new life to what what was a rundown, tired area of the city before the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation undertook the mammoth task of revitalizing East Village.

“It’s all a little surreal to us,” said Phil Robertson of Phil & Sebastian.

Despite extensive renovations, much of the original features of the building remain, including the hardwood floors, brick walls and solid pine pillars. Inside the private dining room, the original feather chute from the building’s days as a mattress factory is featured in one corner. One table in charbar’s dining room is made out of the door of a safe that had been in the basement of the building.