Over the past few weeks, we’ve been working closely with the team at SLO Coffee to put together a pop-up at the shop. During our last meeting, we sat down with SLO co-founders Paul Irwin and Colin Lai to talk about community, self-expression, and the value of trusting your team. With the event coming up this Saturday, May 17th, we wanted to share a few thoughts they passed along.
As we step into SLO Coffee, Paul is already waiting at a corner table. A morning jazz playlist hums in the background, blending with the low murmur of conversation and the occasional hiss of the steam wand. Before long, it all fades into white noise as our own conversation begins to take shape.
Colin joins the table, and by now we’re fully settled into the atmosphere these two have so effortlessly created. The space is beautiful. The curves of the concrete walls softens the rawness of the material, and everything is bathed in a gentle, amber glow while the hum of chatter and music fills the room.
Andrew: To start off, for those who don’t know. Would you be able to tell me a bit about the beginnings of Slo Coffee?
Paul: Our friendship was forged through two separate businesses. I have a branding studio in Gastown called Loki Creative, and Colin has a boutique development company I was helping with at the time. What brought us together - beyond the work - was a shared love and passion for coffee. Not just the coffee itself, but everything around it: the spaces it lives in, the atmosphere, the design that shapes how it makes you feel.
After a few years of collaborating, learning, and spending time together, we found ourselves in Revolver jokingly saying "we should create a coffee shop", and that was that.
Andrew: I think you’ve done such a great job with the space—and ever since I first heard about SLO, it’s felt like you’ve really managed to build a community around it, too.
Paul: Yes, It was important for us to look at the neighbourhood and see what people are doing and how they’re living and try to create a space to compliment that. I think people are looking for an experience, and we’ve found that with a warm and welcoming atmosphere combined with good coffee.. and good matcha! We’ve been feeling it.
Andrew: Would you say that the shop is a reflection of your own personal styles?
Colin: I’d say so. I think we’ve drawn from all the great experiences we’ve had visiting coffee shops while traveling—the little moments, the feelings we walked away with—and tried to bring that here.
Paul: When we were creating the shop, we were really inspired by Wabi-Sabi—both the design and the philosophy behind it.
Ricardo: Could you tell us more about what that is?
Paul: Wabi-Sabi is a way of life that embraces the natural wear of time—and finding beauty in that. In the shop, that led us to things like the textured ceilings and the bar tiles, for example.
Colin: It’s about finding perfection in the imperfections.
Ricardo: Would you say you drew inspiration from Wabi-Sabi when crafting the menu?
Paul: That’s a good question. We knew from the start that we wanted Wabi-Sabi to seep into the overall shop experience—not just the design, but the philosophy behind what we serve. We talked a lot about different approaches to food and drink, and honestly, a lot of the ideas came from our team. Most of the menu has been shaped by our staff, so they’re the ones really bringing their own identities into it.
Colin: I’d say our menu really reflects our staff. It’s something Paul and I talk about a lot—how lucky we are that, a year in, so many of the same people are still with us. We were fortunate to find such a talented group from the start.
Andrew: That’s amazing I love that... Well we have an event together coming up that I’m really excited for! Would you want to tell us a bit about what you guys have in store for it?
Paul: Yes! This is actually our first event outside of the SLO shop, so we designed a custom cart that we’ll be bringing into Wallace—which we’re really excited about. One of our team members, Gabbi, created a specialty drink just for the event, and you’ll get to try it today.
Colin: We’re really glad you thought of us and brought this idea our way. Finding ways to connect with and help build this community has always been important to us. We feel lucky to be a part of it—and we’re excited to bring a little bit of the SLO touch to the mix.
You can learn more about SLO Coffee and the team behind it here.
