Coffee Round the Clock: A Look at Breka, One of Vancouver’s Most Popular 24-Hour Bakeries
Picture the scene: a lively group of students working away on a project at a cosy café, sipping on freshly brewed coffee and tucking into decadent pastries. A scene familiar and not too extraordinary, perhaps, until I tell you that not only is it 3am, but that if these students so desire, they can remain there until 3pm with no fear of being kicked out. Welcome to Breka, the Bakery That Never Shuts, a café that prides itself on being open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
While Vancouver as a city is not quite at the same level as New York in terms of never sleeping, the prevalence of 24-hour eateries is quietly on the rise. When I heard there was an ‘amazing’ 24-hour bakery near where I lived, I was both intrigued and a little dubious. Could a café that never shuts really be that good? I envisioned a shabby, uninviting place with bright, harsh lighting selling industrially-produced stale cookies in sterile plastic containers. So I was pleasantly surprised when I stepped into Breka’s warm, inviting, capacious location on Bute. Sunny yellow walls and light wood, comfy couches and generous tables created a welcoming ambience. And then there were the goods themselves: mouthwatering pastries topped with jewel-coloured glazed fruit peeked out from the display case, while the wooden shelves behind the counter bore an assortment of rustic loaves of bread. The wholesome smell of baking pervaded, and I could imagine how stressed-out students would be drawn to such a comforting environment when cramming for a test at 3am.
Tucked away in a location just off Robson that was once a Bread Garden, Breka serves as an oasis for those seeking solace from the stress of everyday life. When I visited for the first time on a mid-week evening, the place was lively with students already starting to gather for a hard night’s study session. Another visit on a Sunday afternoon saw the café filled with a mixed crowd of families with young children, trendy 20-somethings meeting up with friends, tourists taking respite from a day of sightseeing, and older citizens chatting contentedly.
When I chat with Katie, a young woman who works at the bakery, she tells me that this location is the second in the Breka franchise. “The owners first opened a location on Fraser that was really successful, so they just decided to take it from there and open this second location. We opened in late January.” It’s easy to see why the Breka brand is so successful. In a city dominated by either the ubiquitous Starbucks on every corner or “trendy” hipster hangouts, it serves as a refreshing alternative that offers a bit more character than your average chain coffee-store but not so much that it isolates those who feel they don’t belong to the cool crowd. The Breka staff is friendly and not in the least supercilious—no snooty baristas with attitude problems here.
And then of course, there’s the small matter of it being open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, hours that are not terribly common even in a big city. While you may wonder how a place serving coffee and baked goods manages to do business in the wee hours, I was told that there actually is quite a market for such a notion. “I think what makes this location so successful is it’s convenient,” Katie tells me. “We’re downtown, so when everything else shuts, people just gravitate here.”
Looking back on my own not-so-distant university days, I could greatly have done with a Breka in my life, or just any type of welcoming café environment with round-the-clock hours. Like many students, I preferred studying and completing assignments in public places—there were less of the distractions that a home environment presented, and coffee shops, with their supply of the caffeinated beverages so necessary to power me through a mountain of work, were my haunts of choice. However, the later the evening wore on, the less options there were available for such locales; the very latest Starbucks shut their doors was 10pm, and the university’s library kicked students out once midnight approached.
Apparently, however, it’s not just students who frequent Breka well into the night. “We do get a lot of students, but it’s not entirely students late at night. Some people just want a coffee. They’ll come here at like 12, then stay until two.” But the place doesn’t have a constant stream of customers. “I don’t work late at night, but I’m told it gets completely dead from three to five am. But it’s pretty busy until around two, three am.” Katie also points out that it makes sense keeping the store open at all hours, because employees have to start baking the goods for the day ahead very early in the morning. If the store is technically open anyway, why not open the doors to customers?
So, do places like Breka give us a taste of what’s to come in terms of businesses extending their hours? Only time will tell, but the success of the Breka franchise suggests that there is a market for late-night lattes and a comfortable environment to get work done. While I don’t foresee myself tucking into pastries at 3am at any time in the near future, I like to know that it’s an option. That if I ever find myself tossing and turning in the middle of the night, craving a croissant or a cappuccino, I’ll know exactly where to go. It’s a comforting thought.
Sample Front-of-Book Pieces for Fashion/Lifestyle Magazine
Monochrome Magic
While summer style naturally seems to revolve around bright colours and loud prints, this year will see a new trend flooding stores and streets: monochrome.
Clean, sharp lines in bold black and white may not evoke warm weather and blue skies, but Prada, Balmain, Balenciaga, Miu Miu, Alexander Wang, and Dolce & Gabbana all featured this more muted approach to summer dressing in their SS13 collections. A throwback to ‘60s mod, this look is all about keeping it simple and pared-down. Monochrome is anything but boring, however. Eye-straining graphic prints, stripes both horizontal and vertical, houndstooth, gingham, checks…there is infinite variety to play with despite the trend’s limited palette. And the great thing about monochrome is that this is one trend that is completely versatile, crossing the borders of playful dressing and work-appropriate attire with ease. The same graphic shift dress can be dressed down with sandals and a sunhat for a trip to the beach, while a pair of brightly-hued heels and a pop of lipstick can seamlessly take it from day to night. And, if it’s a SFW look you’re after, add a cardigan and pearls to firmly place your ensemble in the boss-approved category.
Citrus Sunshine
While monochrome is a trend perfect for those times when we’re feeling a tad more edgy, there is always room in our closets for a dose of bright, especially during the summer months. Designers including Prabal Gurung, Victoria Beckham, Diane Von Furstenberg, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Stella McCartney, and Louis Vuitton, all turned to the fruit bowl for inspiration for their SS13 collections. The hues of juicy lemons, oranges, and grapefruits are not only good enough to eat, but to wear, too. While this is not a particularly surprising, innovative summer trend, what makes it fresh is how you wear these colours. Take inspiration from the catwalks, and clash tangerine with coral, tomato with mango. This trend is not about being matchy-matchy, but if it’s a truly designer look you’re after, try not to introduce too many shades from outside the citrus family. While this trend is a definite do for casualwear—it was practically made for beachside vacations—it can be trickier to incorporate into a work-appropriate outfit. However, as long as your office doesn’t have a strictly neutrals dress code, a plain skirt and blazer combo can be livened up with a chartreuse blouse for a bolder look, or a pair of coral earrings if you want to play it safe.
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