New cafe aims to serve customers... and the community
A new Johnstone coffee shop which aims to transform the community has thrown open its doors.
Johnstone Coffee Co. started trading this week from its spot on 71 High Street at the site of the former Delectables Cafe.
Owner Tony Marshall, 25, has swapped a life of looking after celebrities in Los Angeles for making lattes for locals.
He says the new business will offer something different, with everything on the menu – from coffee to food – coming from local suppliers.
Tony, told the Paisley Daily Express: “Johnstone’s not had anything like this for a long time.
“It’s all about transforming the local community.
“Every supplier we’ve got is within five miles.
“We’re using a local roastery – Gatehouse Coffee Roasters – who are giving us our own unique blend of coffee for the shop itself.
“We want to know everyone who is supplying us and don’t want to use just a random supplier.
“All the meat’s coming from Elderslie Butchers, so it’s small things like that, that matter.”
Tony, who runs Johnstone Coffee Co alongside Gavin Colquhoun and Daniel Muir, believes his new shop, as well as serving up great food and drink, that the main goal is to give something back to the people of Johnstone.
He added: “It’s more than just a coffee shop. We don’t want to just sell rolls, make money and go home.
“We want to help charities and football teams and local groups.
“That’s our main ethos is that we become part of the community.
“I’ve said to the staff: ‘We need earn the right to sell in Johnstone’.
“It’s fine having a nice-looking shop, selling hot food and coffees, but we really need to show people that we care about them and care about the community.
“We want to do as much as we can in that sense, to help.”
And Tony, who is originally from the Ralston area of Paisley, but now lives in Elderslie, admits that in spite of passing up the chance to live the high life in Hollywood, Johnstone is exactly where he wants to be.
He said: “I worked for a talent management company in Los Angeles, so we dealt with musicians and celebrities over there, the likes of Wiz Khalifa and people like that.
“I came back to finish my degree, but just wanted a job while I was doing it, so I went and worked with the guys at Elderslie Butchers, because they were opening that coffee shop at the time.
“I was planning on finishing my degree or getting a job back in LA or in London, but three years later I’m starting a business with them. “It’s a bit of a whirlwind.
“I always wanted to start my own business and my first love has always been coffee.
“I love making coffee. I love seeing the customers every day.”
For more info on Johnstone coffee co, please visit their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ JohnstoneCoffeeCo/