shop – French Californian

June 1, 2016

Hannah Wilson

Bringing Paris to my Hometown Coffee Shop

Just like most humans, I enjoy coffee, and just like tons of people my age, I LOVE coffee shops. A coffee shop is almost like a second home; a place where you go to spend hours studying or catching up with friends. We all have our favorite haunts, and for me, that was Sagebrush Café. It was the first coffee shop I ever visited before finding other favorites in other cities. Sagebrush is my coffee home.

I always had it in the back of my mind that I would love to show my photographs at Sagebrush – they’ve been featuring the work of local artists on their walls pretty much since they opened 7 years ago, and I’ve been interested in photography since high school. They’re part of a new culture that has arisen in the Antelope Valley, a refreshing and uplifting change that was much-needed in this sprawling desert suburb. Within the last few years, an art museum and community of local creatives has sprung up. The Antelope Valley is the kind of place that every high school kid wants to escape, to run away from the moment graduation is over. I was one of those kids, but I find myself drawn back not only because of my family who still live there, but also because of establishments like Sagebrush Café.

When they approached me, asking if I’d like to show some of my travel photographs, I immediately said yes.

August 11, 2014

Hannah Wilson

True American

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If a Levi’s classic-blue denim jacket and high-tops don’t say American, then I don’t know what does. Add to that the fact that I had just stuffed my belly full of honey mustard chicken sandwich and root beer at Breakfast in America, and I think I deserve a prize.

This has been an easy outfit choice lately. It’s comfortable, no-fuss, and breathable for when the sun gets warm. I just hate getting blisters and sore feet from wearing heels, and even more so, getting stinky flats from going sock-less on hot days. That’s why sneakers are so nice – they allow me to wear socks, and they don’t pinch my poor, wide, Flintstone feet.

May 28, 2014

Hannah Wilson

AntiCafé: A Fresh take on the Coffee Shop

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One of my favourite things to do when I was at college in Long Beach, California, was to sit at a coffee shop for hours, either talking with a friend or studying. I particularly loved Portfolio CoffeeHouse; They used to have this old, heavy desk, full of drawers. It was the perfect place to plop down with a stack of Art History and theory books from the library and write my research papers, which inevitably, were left until the last minute. I was a good student. :p

I’ve always felt like there was a serious lack of these kinds of places in Paris – communal living rooms where one can have a capp, nibble a scone, and relax. Yes, Paris is rife with cafés, the kind of cafés with little round tables and rows of wicker chairs facing the street. These are great, but they just don’t have the same purpose, vibe, or possibilities of a coffee house.