Through difficult times and on better days, the Gaslight has been more than a coffee shop patronised by locals and strangers alike. For over eleven years it has proved to be a refuge and retreat, a meeting place, a focal point for young and old--somewhere to go when hunger wasn't the only problem to be solved. Workers from nearby offices and businesses fill a gap here; pensioners catch up on the week's events and pass on their wisdom to hassled mothers with their charges; taxi drivers can count on good fare; sales reps know it is the present order; politicians and presenters are lost for words as they tuck into the speciality of the day.
Committed to its objectives of employment creation, training, and providing a service to the community, the Gaslight Coffee Shop has featured on the CV/Resume of many young people who now enjoy full-time employment in established restaurants and eating places throughout Belfast. Employers have looked here for additional staff and testify to satisfactory results.

Outside catering has been a successful feature of the Shop and event organisers have come back time after time to book the staff and service. Their reputation has gone before them to both the high and humble.

Managed over the years by Hazel Johnston, and assisted presently by Stephen Shields, the Gaslight Coffee Shop has gone from strength to strength, providing sustenance and succour in equal portions to everyone who darkens the door…