Cafe C'est La Vie in downtown Moncton. Image: Facebook. For businesses in downtown Moncton to survive a decade of issues like homelessness and rising property taxes, the secret is to understand the ups and downs of the area, according to Cafe C’est La Vie owner David Shin. “If people understand their business and the Main Street characteristics, they will succeed, but if they’re expecting, ‘downtown is always busy,’ they’re going to fail,” said Shin. Shin has been the owner of the cafe since immigrating to Moncton from Korea in 2011. At that time, Cafe C’est La Vie was still located inside the Highfield Square mall, now the Avenir Centre. But in 2012, that building was demolished and Shin moved to 785 Main St.