Oui Paris has a new owner and a new attitude.
The Parisian-style café at 4092 Hastings St. was intended by its previous owners to be a restaurant, offering full meals to seated guests.
But new owner Saori Nguyen has a different vision for Oui Paris. Rather than a restaurant and general store stocked with knick knacks, furniture and clothing, she’s transformed it into a coffee house, priding herself on well-trained staff, freshly made baked goods and coffee.
“Our focus is coffee, like really, really good coffee,” Nguyen told the NOW.
Nguyen and her husband both took a barista course before reopening Oui Paris. She also paid for her three employees to take the course and hired champion barista and latte artist Calvin Kuo. And the coffee beans come from Vancouver-based Rocanini, Nguyen noted.
As for the baked goods, customers can find everything from macaron to cakes to croissants at Oui Paris, and it’s all made fresh in-house. A culinary student comes in regularly to help Nguyen and her staff work on their baking skills, which Nguyen said are coming along very well.
Before she bought the café, Nguyen worked as a stockbroker and spent most of her time at a computer. But when her son was born, she decided to change careers. That’s when she found Oui Paris.
“I really liked the antique look of it, so that’s why we decided to buy this shop instead of another shop. Just the look of it is so nice,” she said.
Nguyen and her husband bought Oui Paris in December and reopened in early February. Nguyen admits it’s been slow going. Many people come in not knowing anything has changed, she said, so there’s still a lot of work to do to spread the word in the community.
“The location is really good. There’s lots of parking around, it’s a busy street, and we really like the neighbourhood, the community – it feels like a community,” she said, adding that when she bought the café, nearby business owners dropped in with flowers to welcome her to the Heights.
Nguyen plans on working full time at the café for the first two months or at least until everything is runningsmoothly. She starts every day at 7 a.m. She has to clean out the coffee machine, something she does throughout the day to ensure the quality of the brew is consistent.
Starting this week, Oui Paris will open at 7 a.m., a decision Nguyen hopes will attract customers on their way to work. They also serve brunch on the weekends and have a small collection of paninis available throughout the day.
So what does success look like to Nguyen?
“People recognize us as a coffee house. Like when they talk about Oui Paris, they’re like, ‘Oh man, the coffee is so good,’” she laughed. “Then I’m successful.”
Oui Paris is located at 4092 Hastings St. For more information on the coffee shop, check them out on Facebook by searching “Oui Paris Cafe.”
