Hourglass

**Before Hourglass was a café, it was almost a magazine.**

Years ago, back in the UK, I had an idea.

Tea always seemed to live in coffee’s shadow. There were endless stories about coffee — the growers, the regions, the craft — but tea felt massively underrepresented.

So I started developing a magazine.

The idea was to tell the stories of the people, farms, artists and cultures behind tea, and perhaps even pair each issue with a tea for readers to try.

I conducted interviews. Friends and family contributed pieces. Covers were designed.

Seven articles were completed.

And then… nothing.

Life happened, the magazine never quite made it into the world, and the idea was put away.

But the name had already found us.

While on holiday with the family in Norfolk, my wife and I walked past an antiques shop. In the window was an old hourglass.

The shop was closed, so sadly we never bought it.

But we stood looking at it and started talking.

Tea is about time.

Water temperature. Steeping. Waiting.

But it is also about stopping.

Making something for someone. Sitting down. Talking. Taking a few minutes away from everything else.

The hourglass seemed to represent all of that without simply putting the word “tea” on the front cover.

So the magazine became Hourglass.

Fast forward several years.

We had bought a coffee shop in Perth and needed a new name.

At some point, one of us said:

"Why don’t we use Hourglass?"

And suddenly the old idea had somewhere to go.

Then came the words:

Time Well Spent.

Because that was really what the original magazine had been about.

And it was exactly what we wanted the café to be about too.

The magazine never properly saw the light of day.

Hourglass did.

Funny how ideas sometimes take the scenic route.

We have made the decision to extend our closure dates. We will now be closed from Friday 4th September to Monday 7th September.

We will reopen Tuesday 8th September at 07:45.

A few years ago, Hourglass did not exist.

After COVID, our family made the decision to move to Canada. My dad and stepmum were looking to leave Toronto, and around the same time Dad and I started talking about doing something together.

For years, he had been the one building businesses and I had worked alongside him.

This time, the idea was different.

I wanted to create a place built around food, drinks, and — more importantly — connection.

The food and drinks were never really the point.

They were the vehicle.

The idea was to create somewhere people could meet, talk, slow down, and spend time together.

Dad and I both loved cooking. I had always loved the ritual of making drinks for people, especially tea. There is something incredibly personal about taking a handful of different ingredients, temperatures, timings and little decisions, and turning them into something made specifically for another person.

Then, rather serendipitously, a coffee shop came up for sale in the same town where Dad and my stepmum had just bought their house.

The previous owner had been through the enormous strain of running a hospitality business during COVID and was ready for a change.

We negotiated a deal.

Then came three months of me working alongside her — learning the kitchen, the food, the counter, the customers, and remembering what it felt like to serve people again.

In March 2023, we took over fully.

We did not yet know exactly what Hourglass would become.

We just knew what we wanted it to be for.

A place for people to connect.

Everything else has grown from there.

**Time Well Spent.**

A little reminder that we are closed Canada Day

We are closed for Victoria Day. Monday 18th May

We are so pleased to have a new artist in the shop

Thank you Bruce Raby for curating the art section!!

According to someone of FB, Rosie has been found!!

MISSING DOG

ROSIE
4yr old beagle- white/tan
Rosie went missing on May 1st. Last seen on Barries Side Road near Drummond Concession 7.
She is very friendly but leery of men in hats.
If you see her, please call 705-927-7895.

It's May. The days are much warmer and fresh, local produce will be available soon - from our yards, markets and roadside stands.
It's time to get out and explore.

Distribution of our May issue will finish this week. Here's what's in it:

- the Family Falafel at Fat Sisters Falafels
- Midtnight Milling Almanac Grain
- Ay Wey Mexican Street Tacos
- the Terroir of Tea: fermented sparkling tea from Silver Swallow
- FONO Hifi Lounge
- more that coffee in Perth at Hourglass
- Akira Back at the Fairmont Château Laurier

- "Making Space": with rents rising, Ottawa's bakers, baristas and small food brands are carving out businesses within businesses. Sweet Patisserie + Bread by Us, Undergrounds Café + O-Frango.

- Sweet and Savoury Scones

- "Cooking up Confidence": at Cookiddoo, kids learn to chop, measure and master life skills.

- "Saying 'Yes"to Bánh Mì": a sense of adventure led Phoebe Phuong Ha from Vietnam to Canada BanhMiYes

- "Yak Country": on two Pontiac farm properties, Ferme Pure Conscience raises rare livestock & organic vegetables with a new world model of conscious agriculture.

- "From Ottawa to Bologna and Back to Vieux-Hull": chef Simon Laroche studied in Italy before opening Caméline with Alex Régimbal and Audrey Labelle.

Cover photo by Melody Maloney Photo.

We shall be closed from 12:45 Saturday 2nd May for a private event