By Emily Kemp, Special to the Review
Revelstoke's latest cafe on the block, Dose, has quickly become a favourite since it opened quietly in late January.
As a first business for couple John Pierce and Lauren Webster, they wanted to get it right. The result is a welcoming space, fitted out with retro-style furniture, mismatched cushions and hanging glass-encased lights that cast a warm glow. The open space fills up quick with young families, tourists and workers on their laptops attracted to the cafe that looks out onto downtown Revelstoke.
Most importantly — the coffee. It's made from Calgary brand Phil & Sebastian and its taste has received rave reviews from the cafe's customers. Pierce and Webster, who met on the Sunshine Coast in Australia, said they wanted to bring some of Australia's coffee culture to Revelstoke.
"Back home coffee is a way of life," Webster said.
"We're creating an experience around coffee, rather than a convenience, grab and go culture," Pierce added.
Day-in-and-out the pair work together with their staff, making an effort to chat to their customers. It lends a friendly atmosphere to the cafe that encourages synergy.
"It's quite surreal in there," Webster said. "People that know each other and those who don't are interacting at their table and that's what it's about, bringing people together."
"We've been blown away by the support of the community," Pierce said.
Pierce and Webster have been in Revelstoke for about four years and while this is the first winter they haven't had time to ski, for them the sacrifice is worth it. "Revelstoke is the place we want to call home for a long time," Pierce said. "We love this community so much and want to be part of a place that is evolving."
While they hope to get permanent residency in Canada, their current status didn't hold them back when the space and timing all came together.
"I think you just have to have faith that it will work out how's it supposed to," Webster said. "If we have to pass this onto someone else then that's how it's meant to be. But we would like to stay around."
The couple pooled their funds to create the business and, with the help of friends, have gotten it off the ground. Previously they worked at Craft Bierhaus and after seeing how Revelstoke welcomed that unique concept, they realized their idea might have a chance.
It's been a big learning curve but that hasn't slowed production. The cafe aims to reduce waste and source locally and imports food from Nelson's OM Foods, Sicamous's D Dutchman Dairy, Revelstoke's Le Marche; and in the summer they will get fresh produce from local farm Terra Firma.
There are exciting ideas for the future of the cafe, including adding liquor to the menu for evenings this spring. The pair also want to provide events that create interaction and are an alternative to drinking such as smash poetry events and painting classes. But for now it's an organic expansion going one step at a time.
"We've been quite ambitious and we've had plans for a long while now. We don't want to compromise anything just to expand," Webster said.
Dose is located at 101B Second St. East. and is open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.