Monday 1 December 2014

STAN’S [insert clever pun here]

I’m not sure what it says about a person when one of their main concerns when moving cities is whether there’s going to be a decent cafe nearby. That person being me, of course. In Cardiff I had it good - two Coffee#1’s located within close proximity to my home and the coffee was so damn tasty. The pressure was on to find somewhere that could match Coffee#1’s epicness and initially I was a little disappointed with the cafes in my local vicinity. That was until a friend recommended a new cafe that had just opened up called STAN’S, a mere 5 minute walk from my home.



STAN’S was described to me as a combination of cafe and art studio, which intrigued me. Located on Alexandra Park Street, just over the road from Alexandra Parade train station, the cosy little joint is very unassuming and it is possible to miss it completely if you spend life walking around in a zombified state like I do. Admittedly, the opening hours are between 10am and 5pm Wednesday to Saturday so if you happen to pass by on a day it isn’t open then you’ll be greeted with the black shutters of death. How bleak and lonely those days are.

The lady behind this cool venture is Sarah Stanley: an artist, a musician and all round awesome person. She’s also a dab hand at building stuff, the funky chipboard interior is a testament to her ingenuity with a set of power tools and a small budget. For all the time’s I’ve been to STAN’S I’ve never actually taken a picture of Sarah – I could have taken one discreetly but, you know, that’s kind of creepy and I’m far too awkward to ask her. Seriously, I have a knack of making normal things sound suspicious... “it’s for my blog”... sure it is. So I have instead created my own artistic impression of the coffee making goddess. I think she’d quite happily hibernate through the winter months if she could. She is always cold.

The cafe is a compact little place but, as the saying goes, good things come in small packages, right? This is true of STAN’S and I think the petite size only adds to its quirky charm. Okay, so, let’s cut the poetic rambling crap and get down to business. Why is STAN’S so awesome? Well, one reason could be that it’s Glasgow’s first ‘Pay What You Want’ cafe – if you’re poor or just a tight arse you can shuffle your loose change across the counter and grab yourself a hearty soup or homemade ginger ale. Personally, I couldn’t live with the guilt of paying less than the suggested minimum prices – they are, after all, very reasonable and you can feel all warm and fuzzy inside because your money will be helping an independent artist run her studio. Definite karma points right there. I mean, what could be more awesome than that?

WELL LET ME TELL YOU. The coffee. Provided by Edinburgh based roaster extraordinaire ‘Mr Eion’ who has got some seriously good flavours going on. The house blend, lovingly titled ‘Get Up Stan Up’, is a full-bodied and rich blend that really hits the spot. There’s also decaf available for caffeine averse folks like me. Having said that, I have tried most of the blends at STAN’S because who can resist delicious coffee? Who also needs sleep?

IF THAT WASN’T ENOUGH. The cakes. Made by the magical entity known as ‘Bakery 47’ - these moreish sweet treats are something else. Bakery 47 is a local Glasgow baking business run by Sam and Anna Luntley who apparently also do a mean sourdough too. The cake selection changes weekly but you can regularly pick up a chocolate brownie, a slice of carrot cake or my new favourite a cheeky cherry jamaretti.



THERE’S MORE? Hell yes. Exhibitions and events are held frequently – at the moment you can have a gander at a selection of STAN’S in-house badges circa 70s-90s. Prior to that there was a zine launch with accompanying prints on the walls. Make sure you follow the STAN’S facebook page for details of upcoming events. If you’re musically inclined there’s also music tuition available too. Time it right and you might even be able to have your nails painted by STAN Jnr a.k.a ‘Nails by Qez’. Take that other coffee shops with your pretend rustic furniture and book clubs and room for prams and stuff. This is where the real art is at.

So the next time you’re in the East End of Glasgow get your good selves over to STAN’S because I like it there and I think you will too.

Added bonus: Follow STAN’S on instagram for some #peoplewhostareintostans fun.

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