Ten Stylish Shops That Also Serve Coffee
Ralph’s Coffee, New York
Visitors to Ralph Lauren’s new Polo flagship can take a shopping break on the second floor of the historic building at the designer’s first coffee shop. The bright, whitewashed café is decorated with vintage and antique furnishings and serves an exclusive organic blend of drip coffee and espresso roasted by La Colombe.
711 Fifth Avenue; ralphlaurenom
Auto Espresso, Melbourne, Australia
Australian men’s clothier Autonomy turned a corner of its new store in Melbourne’s splashy Emporium retail complex into a coffee bar with a service counter open to the surrounding corridor of shops. Architecture firm Ha developed the modular design, which can be relocated or reconfigured. Local roaster Industry Beans provides blends and a variety of single origins, all prepared with a chic custom La Marzocco espresso machine.
287 Lonsdale Street; autonomyclothingom
Café Kitsuné, Paris
Shoppers at Maison Kitsuné in Paris have to walk around the corner to get their caffeine fix—but since the route is through the Palais Royale, it’s a scenic trip. Founders Gildas Loaëc and Masaya Kuroki opened the minimalist coffee bar earlier this year following the success of the café in their Tokyo branch. Cold-pressed juices and gluten-free pastries are available, in addition to brews from London’s Workshop Coffee.
51 Galerie de Montpensier; kitsuner
My Boon, Seoul, Korea
New York–based firm Jaklitsch/Gardner Architects designed the 6,700-square-foot outpost of Korean luxury boutique My Boon in Seoul’s Gangnam-gu neighborhood. The bright café and juice bar features a marble counter, stainless-steel shelving, lighting bordered with white gradient glass, and wood-paneled walls, all of which serve as a counterpoint to the darker industrial decor throughout the rest of the store.
1F, 4-1 Cheongdam-dong; myboono.kr
Concept, Lochristi, Belgium
Creative agency King George is responsible for the inventive design of Concept Fashion Store’s boutique in Lochristi, Belgium. Inspired by the area’s history as a horticultural center, the interiors include a vertical garden and a rustic central coffee bar surrounded by Hay furniture, where customers can sit and take in the theatrical surroundings.
Antwerpsesteenweg 94c; conceptfashion.be
Used Book Café, Paris
The exhibitions at concept-shop Merci may change frequently, but the charming café remains a constant at the popular Haut-Marais destination. Over 10,000 books line the wall of the cozy ground-floor space, which is filled with eclectic vintage furnishings. As with sales at the store, profits benefit educational charities in Madagascar.
111 Boulevard Beaumarchais; merci-merciom
Toby’s Estate, New York
When Club Monaco redesigned its store in Manhattan’s Flatiron District, the company went beyond clothes, adding a bookshop operated by the Strand, a flower stand, and a branch of Williamsburg, Brooklyn–favorite Toby’s Estate Coffee. The café’s decor was created by the Club Monaco design team using pressed-tin ceilings, hexagonal-tile floors, marble countertops, and custom white La Marzocco Strada espresso machines with walnut paneling.
160 Fifth Avenue; clubmonacoom
The Smile, New York
The first thing visitors see when they walk into Shinola’s Tribeca flagship is not the Detroit-based company’s watches or handmade bicycles but a welcoming branch of the Smile, the popular NoHo restaurant. Architecture firm Rockwell Group modeled the brick-and-oak-lined café after the lobby newsstands in classic New York buildings.
177 Franklin Street; shinolaom
Saturdays NYC, Kobe, Japan
Lifestyle brand Saturdays NYC’s stores are known as much for their espresso bars as for their surfer style, and the latest location is no exception. For the second international shop, in Kobe, Japan, the company worked with Osaka-based furniture designer Truck to create custom tables and seating that enhance the open, minimalist environment. The café offers Saturdays’ exclusive La Colombe blend.
78 Kyomachi, Chuo-Ke, Kobe; saturdaysnycom