I Fell In Love With Slowtown, So I Wrote About It.

Slowtown

Joonas Leskelä at the Slowtown in town | Shot taken by Penda

So, one day I’m in town and have some time to kill, so I decide to go to Cramer’s.
It's underneath the huge FNB in town, next to the Hilton.
When I get there I notice (read that as SMELL) a coffee bistro next door and me being me, had to check it out. I sit and notice immediately that it’s aesthetically pleasing. As if all of Instagram’s cool kids were consulted on everything, the decorations, the plants, the lighting, the tables, all of it!

I’m not swayed much by new places in Windhoek. Many open and have people telling me how they think I’ll “love” them and I never do. *Rolls eyes aggressively*

They NEVER scream “Lynn”.

Right right, so the smell of coffee inspires me order one. The price range is N$ 10 – N$ 35. I find this reasonable. I order.



 





 I find out sandwiches are N$ 30. Still reasonable. So I order that too.

I eat while people walk by and I bumped into THREE people I know without needing to move, that was nice. I feel myself being seduced. I proceed to move inside because I have a blog post that need finishing. I'm still skeptical though.
I try not to get attached to places because last time I got attached to a place (RIP Jojo's. I know technically it’s still open but it’s dead), it was acquired by a new owner and I found out when it was too late!


I LOVE good coffee and tea so when I realized that I was quite fond of the cup I was having, that there was strong reliable WiFi AND that the staff is super friendly I conclude that I should come here more often.

Little did I know that "more often" actually meant once a week. Damn it, not only was I seduced but I fell in love.

 So for the next couple of weeks I'm going there and discover that Joonas Leskelä, the gentleman in the picture at the top of this post, the previous owner of Jojo's, manages this place. Well, I'll be!

 I bump into all kinds of interesting people who are regulars, including Penda. I actually found him making the video below, a compilation of pictures taken there and after he plays it for me, I immediately ask if I can use it for my blog. He says yes and offers to assist me with my other creative endeavors as well. I ask Joonas if I can write about Slowtown and he says yes, so that's how this post came into fruition!

(This video is short and sweet, I promise.)

Slowtown gives me good coffee, the feeling of being home with staff that is familiar with me, the kind of vibe where I can meet a fellow creative who understands my vision and is invested in me achieving it AND is a place for me to host many of my creative meetings.
I mean, what more does a woman need to fall in love with an establishment?
  It's open well before 8 so I can get some coffee before class and closes at 5, the best time to move over to Cramer's next door.
It's perfect!
(I'll be writing about Cramer's soon, be patient.)

I visited the one at the Grove as well, as expected the sandwiches and coffee is up to standard but it's JUST not as charming. I asked Joonas about it and he mentioned that it's harder to create AS intimate a setting in a mall so I was like cool, cool, I get it. 
This one is open until late though so... there's a plus there.
I plan on visiting the one in Swakopmound as soon as I am there and will write on that, too. Most likely I'll just update this post.

 I should also mention that they LOCALLY package coffee beans from around the world that you can buy in selected stores and at the cafes themselves. You can even order them if you're fancy. 
If you have a coffee maker, do the right thing and support LOCAL! I've tried it and it's wonderful, I promise. You can fight me if you disagree.
You can find out more about their packaged coffee here.

Picture from http://www.slowtowncoffee.com/gallery-slowtown/slowtown/

It looks like Slowtown is here to stay and I really hope it is because honestly? I can't have my heart broken again.

Video by Penda

Cinegraph Visual & Photographer
E-mail : pendakamati@icloud.com
Mobile +264 815643986
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