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My Vancouver get-away wraps up today with a final stop at Wicked Café. This is where it all started for me (and credo) four or five years ago. At that time we were seriously thinking of following our dream of opening a café, but only if we could match the service, vibe and product of Vancouver’s espresso greats – JJ Bean, Artigiano and Wicked Café being the go-to cafes. As time passed and our plans finalized, our visits to this city’s great cafes expanded to include Elysian (now with 2 locations), Crema in West Van, and 49th Parallel in Kitsilano.
Opening credo was never intended to be a copy/paste version of any of these cafes, but rather our attempt at emulating the way coffee could be prepared to highest standards, and still maintain the café environment that so many people enjoy.
We have been open 4 months and I felt it was time to re-visit the cafes that, whether they know it or not, helped form what credo has become. It was great to spend some time with Arthur Wynne – a mentor in so many ways to our young and up-coming staff. A shot of Black Cat from Arthur is one of the best ways to re-calibrate what we are serving in our café and, after 2 fantastic shots – one at the original Hemlock and 7th location and the other at the new Hornby location – I found this visit to be more affirming than most. We are again re-discovering the rich intensity, syrupy sweet caramel/chocolate familiarity that drew us to this epic blend so many years ago.
My mini-tour also took me to Crema (a must-visit for anyone in West Van or on their way to the Horseshoe Bay ferries), Elysian’s new location on Broadway (the tradition continues!) and, sadly, one of the now-many Artigianos popping up Starbuck-like all around the city. This once great franchise – which gave rise to many of the cafes mentioned here – seems to be grasping at straws (albeit, I’m sure, very lucrative straws). Ah well…it should serve as an opportunity to, once again, thank those involved in Wicked Café (Brad Ford and Arthur) for sticking to their quality-first level of service. It is obviously working as both locations are constantly busy, and a very good reminder to us at credo that we should (and will) not waver from striving for the highest quality we can possibly produce in every cup.
It’s exciting to confirm the goal for us is well on its way to becoming reality. The challenge for us is to constantly test ourselves against those that inspired us in the early days. And that can only mean we should make more visits to this fabulous city and vow to return as soon as possible! Tough life, but we’ll take it on, if it gives us the ability to bring the best to Edmonton now and in the future.
Lots of interesting tidbits in the last few weeks so let’s run through the transition from construction to opening…
What have we done? – The final piece of the construction puzzle was put into place with the installation of the quartz countertop. Add some artwork, tables and chairs and, lo and behold, a café is born. In so many ways this was the moment of truth – would this be “the place?” Not “the place” as in the coolest, newest, trendiest place in town, but “the place” as we intended it to be when we started this process over a year ago. Clearly, for us, it is a resounding yes! Stepping inside Credo is like taking a step into our minds – it is what we hoped it would be. We have “our place.”
Day One! - Saturday – Farmers Market – are we crazy? No sense hanging back – trial by fire, baby. A couple of anxious, Nervous Nellie’s showed up for work (after a long night of celebration the previous evening) and opened the doors to a steady stream of customers. Charlene and James rocked and the café’s layout proved to be the efficient layout we had hoped and planned for. Collapsing at home later that evening my mind jumped back forth from some famous Oscar quotes, ranging from “We are the kings of the world,” to “They like us, they really like us!” Sleep came easy that night!
Reality sets in! – Of course I knew this wasn’t going to be handed to me. We have some long hours and a tough road ahead. A few slow times through the week reminded me that, while we have a fantastic group of people who have supported us throughout this opening process, we have to patiently wait for (or seek) the general population of café patrons and be prepared to wow them when they do stop in. Charlene, Andrew, Donna, James, and Chris are doing their part – I’m overwhelmed and honoured by the commitment to learning, serving and support each of them have brought to our café. There’s no way we could do this alone.
U2 vs. Coldplay! – Much is made of the rivalry between Coldplay and U2 as to who is the “greatest band in the world.” But one of the more interesting moments at Coldplay’s show happened in the lead-up to the start of the concert. Coldplay chose a song by U2 to lead them onstage. Recognition? Cheekiness? Of course there are going to be comparisons to that other great café in town…the one that all of Credo has either worked at or visited regularly. The comparisons are valid and keep us all committed to improving what we do. Fortunately, there is no competition – we are both providing Edmonton with the coffee experience this city truly deserves - and the collaboration has been fantastic. Credo is not in competition with Transcend – we are working together to offer the highest quality and improve the café landscape. We encourage our customers to visit them – we go there ourselves! But, we are different, and the beauty is in the knowledge that there can be more than one “greatest” in any endeavour.
Back in the dark days of winter we used to stare out on the snowy parking lot that is Churchill Square and dread the day’s sales reports. Doom and gloom were upon us and nothing good could ever come of such a dreary… And then the sun would come out, the weather would warm and winter-weary Edmontonians would emerge from the concrete tunnels to breathe life into the city. We couldn’t wait to cash out.
Mondays were always slow and Thursdays were always busy – except when Mondays were busy and Thursdays were slow. Just as we thought we had it all figured out the world turned on its head.
Being immersed in fast-paced, changing, unpredictable business is no place for the easily panicked. A calm hand at the wheel, a steady-as-she-goes attitude – that’s what’s required. No sense getting worked up over something that can be fixed. Step back, seek advice, re-evaluate, find a solution, roll with it.
There are long days to come, many ups and downs, and more than a few times I will look down and see far too many scratches.
It’s at those times when it’s best to step back, take a deep breath, and polish the floor.
 credo...opening soon! No peeking! The admonition came via text after a confession that I had sneaked a look prior to the completion of another significant stage of construction.
I should know better. The last time I was banished from my café came after the drywall was finished. I was not to go back until the final paint colours had been applied and it was very definitely worth the wait. Walking in, the transformation was amazing. A year-long dream taken through lease and financing, planning and design, delays and full-on construction – I walked into the realization that we would be opening a café! Opening very soon and opening with the atmosphere we had hoped for when we started this process such a long, long time ago.
And now, only a couple of weeks from opening, “no peeking” brings a sense of anticipation. We’ve been documenting the progress of our construction through photos on our website and facebook page. But now, it may be time to wait – at least for some of the more dramatic details.
Throughout this process we have been given a “peek” into what the future holds for Credo – mostly positive, sometimes challenging. A new venture will always be filled with challenges, typically circumstances that no one can foresee or control. But, in those challenges, we have been overwhelmed by the support – amazingly sustained support – from long-time friends, from new acquaintances, from colleagues who will work along side us, from those who share our vision and from those who just can’t wait to get a good cup of coffee served with pride in a welcoming environment.
Last weekend we had the opportunity to test-drive our new espresso set-up. With the right equipment, the highest quality coffee and dedicated people it is truly amazing how good coffee can taste. It will be so exciting to work along side the talent and dedication of Charlene – tweaking the preparation and presentation. There is a reason we are committed to Intelligentsia – especially their signature Black Cat espresso – and it is evident in the cup.
We are only a few short weeks away from unveiling Credo. Now, it’s time to stop peeking into the future. Now, it’s time to pull it all together. It will be an amazing day when we move from “no peeking” to “Welcome to Credo!”
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