A Romantic Assembly
Community Manager of WatchHouse Faye Mitchell, on their Modern Coffee experience in connecting customers and communities with coffee.
Words by Alison Choi
Photography by Darren Rowlands
Underpinning WatchHouse is the ethos of Modern Coffee; the idea of creating a holistic experience for customers through excellent coffee, considered spaces, quality food and most importantly, the best people. And even during the pandemic, they continue to pursue such an approach, closely connecting with customers and communities.
Photography Credit:
WatchHouse was founded in 2014, from a chance encounter between founder Roland Horne and a shelter sitting guard along Bermondsey Street. Over the course of 7 years, WatchHouse has expanded into a total of 7 branches, each with a unique design that is informed by the historical and social values of its location.
A Romantic Assembly
“Cafés are vehicles for connection in their communities. It may seem like an overly romantic idea, but whether you are stopping to grab a takeaway on the way to work, sitting down to relax while exploring a new city, or spending a few hours catching up with a friend. Cafés provide this unique opportunity for connection that exists without the constraints of many of our usual day to day interactions. !ere is no age limit, and it does not matter what you do or where you come from.”
What is the story and ethos behind WatchHouse?
Faye Mitchell: Everything began with just 25 sq. meters. on London’s Bermondsey Street. WatchHouse CEO and Founder Roland Horne was living on Bermondsey Street at the time, and had been asked to join a friend in setting up a café concept. He had spotted this incredible building boarded up; historically it was the watch house for men guarding the graveyard of the neighbouring church, but in 2012 it was sitting empty. Seeing an abundance of potential in the space, when the original proposal failed to come to fruition Roland decided to move forward himself. 199 Bermondsey Street became our first location and namesake in 2014, with huge support from the local community. !eir passion for the concept showed us how well received it could be in other spaces within the city, and that there was desire for something more than fast paced commercial chains.
Much of our ethos originates from our first House; as we expand and refine our offering it always returns to the vision that opened our first site; excellent coffee, quality seasonal food, the best service, and visionary design, embedded in the local community. WatchHouse always aspired to be an experiential brand, more than simply being good at any one part of what makes up a cafe operation. This is still at the very heart of everything we do in person and digitally.
What do you consider when deciding on a new location?
F: We have to ask ourselves whether or not a new location has the right audience, and stay humble in the knowledge that we are not always going to be right for that specific location. Because serving our local communities is rooted in our work, it is a really important consideration for us; how can we elevate things in that spot? !e physical space available is a huge consideration too; it has to allow us to execute really considered and conceptual design, as well as meeting our needs operationally. That balance of design and functionality has to be right in each new location.
Read the full interview in
New Norm Magazine Issue 04
In this issue we unfold a thread of personal thoughts and memories, streams of consciousness that influence their identities and narratives.
Featured interviews include Agnes Jonas, Barber & Osgerby, Instrmnt Applied Design, Gris, Klara Leidl, Koto Design, homework, WatchHouse, Ziu I. A , Onoko.
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The Koto studio, co-founded by Zoë, Johnathan, and Theo, designs modular houses, cabins, and sculptural small buildings, with each drawing inspiration from Scandinavian designs.