A Celebration of You.
As always, the inspiration for this month’s blog came from a conversation that started “What on earth shall I write about this month?!” Then, me and Daniela went off course and started discussing some of the conversations we’ve had with customers over the last week, and we just marvelled, as we often do, at the stories we have been told and we thought - That is what we will write about! Our customers!
Nowadays, probably even more so in the last couple of years, we live in more and more of a faceless society. We order online, or we go to shops and often leave without even making eye contact with someone, let alone having a conversation. Shopping has become quite clinical. And when it comes to the world of online shopping we do not even see where we are buying from, we often assume that everything just comes from a big warehouse where people are packing and shipping 24 hours a day. Now, don’t get me wrong, mail order is brilliant - without it, we wouldn’t have survived the last three years - but we often find that we “lose touch” with our customers – and this is one of the things we love about our shop, getting to meet, know and chat with our customers. Our newer customers who have only ever shopped online with us, maybe cannot picture where their coffee is packed and processed – well, it is all prepared and packed in store.
(Orders being prepared, packed and collected below)
For as much as we need to, and have to - we have not expanded, for many reasons. We still operate entirely from our shop in Soho - and it is not a big shop - and many of you who have visited us can confirm that we pack all the mail orders in the shop, you often see the orders all lined up waiting to be closed. We often speak to customers who have no idea that we run solely from our store. And more so, we are a family-run business not a corporate company.
Our shop is often celebrated, the history, our family, but there is a much more important side that is not mentioned or celebrated - we wouldn’t be here without you all, our wonderful customers.
Whilst we may be a unique shop, we also like to think that we have a unique customer base. We are so often blown away by the kind words we receive from our lovely customers, we are always so touched that so many take the time to send us a message. Often people are more motivated to write negatively, so to take the time to write something beautiful and kind is so moving. There have been times over the last two years when your words have moved Daniela and me to tears.
But what blows us away even more are the fabulous stories we hear from our customers and the rich history our customers share with the store.
We have a customer who orders from us once a year, every November, and he called us last Saturday, and I was so excited that I got to take his call and order, after I exclaimed, “Now it is Christmas!” He is elderly and during our chat, he marvelled at how we always get his coffee to him - he said, even during two world wars he and his family managed to receive our coffee! Can you imagine, his family has been shopping with us all the way back to at least the very early 1900’s - maybe even as we started?
Daniela had a chat with a customer in the shop the other day who reminisced that he had been shopping with us for over 50 years! He remembers coming in and being served by our grandfather.
I have been told by quite a few customers that they started buying our coffee back in the 70s/80s when they were students. Glad we could help all the studying!
And then there are the beautiful stories of customers who remember coming shopping here with their grandparents or parents and who now visit as adults, perhaps with their children.
If anyone would like to send us your stories and memories of the store, and if you have any photos of the shop through the years - even better, if you are coming to visit the shop ask for me and tell me your story personally (though I do ask to wait until the New Year when we will have more time). With your permission I would love to share your stories and memories in a future blog - obviously names won’t be published if you do not wish them to be. And if you are visiting and are happy to, we can have our photo together for the blog!
As this is the last blog of 2022 may I wish you all a very peaceful and happy Christmas and New Year. Thank you for reading our blogs and engaging in them, thank you for all your support.
From Marisa, Daniela, Paul and all at Algerian Coffee Stores. xxx
Comments
We haven’t been your customer for very many years but I’m delighted we got to know you. It was my son (he lives in Bromley, the only Johnson to stay there – my husband is from Petts Wood) who introduced me to your coffee. We live in Coventry now but the very first time we bought your coffee we found your shop and I was speechless – so many goodies! Alas, we don’t get to visit you in person but thank goodness there is mail order, how else would I survive? We would like to wish you merry Christmas and a very happy New year, perhaps we’ll manage to visit you in 2023.
Best coffee e store on the planet – best staff too! I’ve been buying from you since the 1970s and always got great service and great coffee.
Keep it up!
I think my earliest memory must be around 1950-2, coming with my dad to the Musicians Union offices on Archer Street in Soho, where my dad worked and reaching Old Compton Street from Charing X Road and smelling the coffee roasting in your shop and then walking past the shop window where you had 2 , red, gas-powered coffee roasting machines running. The smell of roasting coffee beans is something else! Soho back then was a pure delight, the deli that I visited with my mum where you could buy giant pickled gherkins out of a barrel outside the deli and delicious rollmop herrings, a special treat for me on a Friday on freshly baked bread and lashings of butter! All sadly gone except in my memories of days gone by and a London that is the poorer, much poorer for their passing.
Wow! I was the person who told you I’ve been coming to the shop for over 50 years. Need more Cuban Beans. See everyone later this week.
Best Wishes.
Philip
Hi there lovely Algerian Coffee shop! Seasons greetings to you. When I was 17 I worked in an advertising agency nearby in Broadwick Street. That was 50 years ago, and I used to buy coffee at your lovely store and take it back to Hove with me. Soho was still pretty much a village then. I can remember a shop across the road from you sold cigarettes from all over the world, and I think that the ‘French House’ was a specialist boxing pub! Whenever I come to London I drop in and buy some ‘Cuban Azul Lavado’, and of course a coffee to drink! Thanks for being there.