Brewing a Coffee-sation to Foster Community
Check out Oliver’s Coffee Bar (featured below) for their AMAZING Chai Lattes and Cinnamon scones
“You guys hang out at that coffee shop WAY too much.”
~(Phoebe, Friends)
I think this can be said about most of us… But, is it really a problem? As I travel, I find that so much community is nurtured through conversations in cafes. Baristas have the rare opportunity to meet people where they are at in a specific moment of time. Perhaps a widow visits a café to be comforted by a friendly face. Maybe an elderly group gathers every morning to cherish the time with their childhood/Bingo besties. An opportunity could arise for a new business partner, or partner in life. Or, if you’re like me, you are frantically searching for an outlet with caffeine because both your dying laptop and self-energy for your tutoring session that starts in three minutes…
Regardless of why you go to a café, joining together at a local spot with others is such a comforting and refreshing experience. Conversation is key to maintaining relationships, but conversations are more than just words. Even James Michael Taylor (Gunther in Friends) shares how the make-believe Central Perk café impacted his life. In a BuzzFeed article, he describes how difficult it was to film the final scene:
“It was really difficult to shoot. I had taken for granted over ten years of walking onto that set. It felt like a second home, although it was a fake coffee shop. Knowing they were going to be dismantling that set directly after we finished that scene, even though we were still shooting, that was kind of weird.”
Although the café was fictional, the community established between the actors was real. Friendship was there- they all gathered for work, but they were living life together. Each rehearsal, each scene filmed, they bonded over struggles and laughter. Visiting a local café and making it your “go to” spot is a way to cherish your own circle of friends.
And so, what better way to prove this than exploring the impact of cafes right here in Belfast, Northern Ireland? For this first feature, we will be having a cuppa the fa-brew-lous café: Oliver’s Coffee Bar. Out of all the cafes I have been in on the island of Ireland, this one is my favorite. It is family run, the owner truly invests in his community and never lets life affect the way he treats customers, prices are the best in town, everything is homemade, and it has such a aesthetically-pleasing atmosphere as a brick, corner-stop café. So, go ahead, take this article with you to read with a scone and warm mug of Oliver’s Coffee...
https://www.instagram.com/oliverscoffeebar_lbr/?hl=en Address
441A Lisburn Rd.BelfastBT9 7EY Hours
Tuesday-Saturday 8am-4pmOliver’s Coffee Bar
Their Daily Grind is Grounds for Changing and Treating Lives
Shop owner Jack Oliver poses with mate and colleague Conor Brady
You never know what a conversation will spark….
At Oliver’s Coffee Bar, conversation has opened the door to friendship, free concert tickets, and even true love.
The shop’s owner, Jack Oliver, began his café journey by helping the family business in 2014. At the age of just fourteen, he took over his father’s shop and has been running it since. Throughout the years of serving the community on the Lisburn Road, he feels the experience has positively impacted his character and work ethic.
“ The best way is that it has made me more sociable,” he said.
Oliver has seen many friendships develop in the very seats of his shop. That is what he emphasizes as key to the shop, the community.
“ People don't want to go to the bar all the time because it wrecks ya. So, you go to the wee local coffee shop and you make friends here,” Jack said. “That is a big thing here. Customers didn't know each other but now they're best friends. They meet up here.”
While managing the shop, Oliver works alongside a close mate, Conor Brady. Oliver and Brady grew up together, were even flatmates for three years, and now run the coffee shop together.
Brady began working at Oliver’s Coffee right after graduating from university.
“[Jack] was just happy enough to take me on. So I was just like it sounds pretty, pretty ideal,” Brady said. “And then like, it's good craic just working with your mate … It just doesn’t really feel like work.”
Brady enjoys the job so far, both for the coffee and community.
“The coffee's really good. The customers are always good craic,” Conor said. “A lot of them are like regulars … People keep coming back, so you get to know them.”
Inside view of Oliver’s Coffee Bar
Even though the best mates get to hang out at work, they by no means slack off. While they love their work, they both admitted there are challenges.
“ When you're exhausted some days,” Oliver said. “You know, end of a shift, and you're just really tired, or you're just a bit rundown, you have to, you know, stay positive and chat with the customers. And we're very friendly with all the customers … They're a friend, we're friends with them. So, you have to give them a bit of chat every day, or they'll be a bit offended.”
Conor agreed that sometimes the busyness can be stressful.
“Well, I'm in the kitchen,” he said. “It's either quiet, and then we'll all get hit at once. So like, I'll have nothing to do, and then I'll have like six things to make … When everything just happens at once and you're just trying to run around like a headless chicken, just trying to organize yourself and stuff … I know I panic a bit when that happens, but other than that, it's pretty simple.”
Street view of the shop- Don’t pass it by!
Despite occasional bursts of stress, both men are thankful for the shop and the way they get to spend their days.
A highlight for both Oliver and Brady is the interaction with customers, especially the rare moments that lead to a story. Below are few of the captivating stories Oliver shared.
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Trading a Scone for Kahan
At a coffee shop, you can chat about pretty much anything. One day, music seemed to grasp the focus.
One day, Oliver was serving a customer while Noah Khan was playing on the radio. Both the customer and Oliver spoke about their appreciation for his music.
Then, a surprise was handed over…
“One of my favourite artists is Noah Kahan,” Oliver began. “Basically, a customer I was talking to one day, and we were talking about Noah Kahan, it's like the second time we've met this customer … Noah Kahan was on the speaker, and I was like, yeah, he's great. And he’s like, ‘Uh, oh, would you want to go see him?’ And I was like, ‘yeah.’ And then he said, ‘Oh, I got a spare ticket to go.’’ So I went there on that night and got a free ticket to Noah Kahan. Yeah. Which I thought was a great encounter. I wouldn't have experienced that if I was in the back somewhere.”
You really never know what a customer will throw in your tip jar...
Some freshly baked sweet treats- yum!
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Décor and More
Again, tipping your local barista is encouraged, but some customers go above and beyond. If you are going to visit Oliver’s Coff Bar a bunch, why not decorate to help it seem like your place?
“There's a funny story about the Frida Kahlo,” Oliver said. ‘A customer of ours said, “Oh, do you know who Frida Kahlo is? … You look like her.” She said I have the same eyebrows as her. I’ll take it as a compliment, I think.’
Not only did Oliver receive some flattery, but another surprise later showed up. A few days later the customer returned with a painting of Frida Kahlo! Venture to the shop to see if you can find it, and then add your vote: Does Jack Oliver have the same eyebrows as Frida Kahlo?
Seating inside the shop, featuring the special Frida Khala gift
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Truly Lovely
*Have to give Jack credit for the name here.
Sometimes, the sweet part of life is more than what is in your cup and on your plate…
In our modern age, far too often do strangers sit next to each other and not speak. However, Oliver and Brady witnessed a moment two young potential suitors broke the ice.
“Another great story,” Jack said. ‘It was a Saturday, and a guy came, a really busy Saturday, right? And then a guy comes in, maybe like, our age, 25, 26, comes in, orders a coffee, sits over here [points to the bar stool], obliged reading a book. Okay, nothing goes by. About 20 minutes later, a girl walks in, about the same age, didn't know each other at all, also reading a book, and I was like, ‘yeah, just pop up there, I'll get a cup of coffee over.’ And then me and Tom [a former employee] were kind of watching it, because they just, you know, they're sort of talking about what you're reading, what you're reading, blah, blah, and they just sort of get talking, and like an hour goes by, and then eventually they end up sharing their phone numbers, and he asks her on a date, and then she says, yeah, that'd be good, and then he goes on.”
For Oliver, pouring a cup of coffee can lead to anything.
“A little bit of romance happened in here one day,” Jack said. “We just had a chat. It was a random Saturday.”
Plenty of places to sit and meet someone…
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The Good Stuff
Okay okay, how can I leave out my first reaction of the café- a mouthwatering heaven. You go in and immediately float away as the aroma of freshly baked scones fill your nostrils and warm your lungs. Then, your eyes gaze upon the HUGE size of the baked goods. Ay, dangerous place to be...
*My recommendations:
Cinnamon scones
S’mores brownie [BEST brownie on this planet- it’s a dense, fudgy brownie with bits of marshmallow and graham cracker (or digestive biscuits, ay the British).]
Well, what are you waiting for?! Listen to your screaming tastebuds now and try out Oliver’s Coffee’s drinks and treats. Below is their information. I would write more, but I need my own coffee and brownie break.
Oliver’s Coffee Bar
441A Lisburn Rd.
Belfast
BT9 7EY
Hours
Tuesday-Saturday 8am-4pm