The Journey Begins
Whilst dangling a set of keys in front of a camera that is precariously propped on the dash of Colin’s car I begin “we’ve just picked up the keys to an old and empty shop that we plan on turning into a…”. Colin starts to chuckle and before I can finish my sentence we are both giggling like a pair of school boys who have just heard their Dad swear for the first time. It requires a few failed takes but after composing ourselves we manage to record the prelude to our first ever YouTube film (vlog). It is at this point we realise we have a long day ahead of us.
We decided that we would record our journey from the moment we picked up the keys to our empty shop. We want to document not just the transformation of the space but the different challenges and tasks that we face and perhaps our personal transformation too. With this experimental process in mind, we had no real set shots to film or narrative planned. We tried to capture what we could. We recorded our first moments in the shop, then we sat the camera on the floor whilst we discussed layouts and measured. We tried a few pieces to camera that were neither terrible or perfect. Hopefully we will become more relaxed the more we film and we will find our feet with regards to the content.
Let me backtrack slightly. Colin and I are brothers. Colin is an Electrician and I am an Art Director. We have both being working in our industries for over a decade and thoroughly enjoy what we do. We are both very different but share many interests; travel, food, cycling, football and notably we both have a passion for coffee. We take pride in seeking out the best flat whites, espressos and coffee bean sellers in London (and beyond). We often share and compare notes on new coffee shops or different blends we’ve been sampling. It has been a hobby of ours for years and even crosses over into our travel. We are firm believers and active participants in seeing the world and all she has to offer. I always find, whilst abroad, I gravitate towards the coffee shop at some point during each day’s exploration. It seems like the natural place to plan the day ahead or the ideal setting to get some respite from sightseeing. More than that, I love seeing the nuances in each culture. Be it the Italian espresso bar where locals down shots in a bustling environment akin to a public house, the Arabic coffee rituals where guests and hosts have a specific part to play in the theatre of their ceremonial coffee drinking, the grandeur and opulence of Hungarian coffee houses or the laid back and comfortable approach of a Californian coffee shop. It’s fascinating.
For years, we have toyed with the idea of opening and running a coffee shop of our own. Taking our most favoured aspects of other coffee cultures and creating something unique. We’ve always agreed that when the right opportunity presented itself we would go for it and join the ranks of baristas and coffee shop owners that populate the city. Colin almost took the plunge a year or so ago when he was close to starting a mobile coffee pop-up. But it didn’t quite get off the ground. A few months ago an opportunity did show itself. A vacant shop on a small parade that is local to us became available and we saw this as the perfect chance to start our journey as coffee shop owners so we grabbed it!
I finished editing our film and I have just posted it to YouTube, you can watch it here if you like. It was a little scary and rather exhilarating uploading it. I’ve never put a film that’s so personal out there in the big wide world (web). I wonder if it will even be viewed and if it does, will it be received well? I suppose, as with starting a coffee shop, we are inviting people to spend some time in our company and naturally, as humans, we hope our guests enjoy themselves and leave with fond memories or at least a sense of happiness. I guess time will only tell.
I hope this post was interesting and/or helpful in some way. I’d love any feedback you have. If you have a spare minute please do leave a comment. If you have any further minutes to spare you could watch our short film we’d greatly appreciate it.
James
Stantons Coffee
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