In addition to his small empire of vintage furniture stores, Chien is also a cofounder of Ecole (學校咖啡館), a cafe next to the Qingtian Street (青田街) branch of Mooi. He says Ecole was influenced by the small coffee shops he sees in Berlin.
“They each have their own style and really give you a sense of what the proprietor is like. As a result, the people who go there are similar in character to the owner,” says Chien.
Chien wanted Ecole to retain the same relaxed spirit as its German counterparts. The cafe is named Ecole, or “school” in French, because he hopes customers will “learn new ways of thinking, through the magazines and the books we have or the music we play.”
CDs and books (some for sale) are stacked on shelves within easy reach of customers. Another rack has periodicals in several languages, including almost every issue of Monocle, a monthly magazine on international affairs, culture and design (“I couldn’t believe how wonderful it was when I first saw it,” Chien says of the London-based publication).
The basement of the cafe hosts intimate performances, exhibits and other activities each month. For this month’s roster, check ecole-cafe.blogspot.com.
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