LONDON — In retail, the in-store café has become a phenomenon.
In London, there’s a café at Aimé Leon Dore; one on the top floor of Dover Street Market and a sleek café at Nanushka’s London and Budapset flagships, which is relaunching with its own set of ceramics, including an incense holder, an espresso shot glass, an ashtray and more.
The café has been at the store space for a few years, but now it’s been refurbished with dark wood tones, warm lighting and silverware.
The space has sentimental value to the brand’s founder and creative director, Sandra Sándor.
“Café culture is part of Budapest historically and it has Austro Hungarian roots with grandiose coffee houses all around the city. It’s something that’s quite dear to me because when I was growing up, I loved this sense of community that it brought to the city. People went to the coffee houses to meet their friends, have a little afternoon treat and I wanted to recreate that sense of community,” she said in an interview.
She sees the ceramics as a creative add-on for customers to take away with them. The range currently start at 25 British pounds.
The brand is optimistic it will open Nanushka café’s in other cities as pop-ups and to create more merchandise other than just ceramics.
Sándor took up pottery lessons a few years ago in Budapest and she would go to classes almost every weekend. The ceramics in the collection were made at the same studio where she took lessons.
