From the beginning it was built with a dream and a mission: to decentralize and take specialty coffee in a different direction with meaning, attention to small details and responsible awareness in its consumption.

I think of my childhood dinner table in Korea: warm rice, kimchi, simple soup, and love that needed no words. Today, I'm also inspired by Mexican markets, small kitchens, and pots marked by time. Imperfect places, but alive.

The initial, distinctive proposition that served as inspiration and continues to this day was the sale and playback of vinyl records, making them pioneers at the time in merging these two passions. There couldn't have been a better combination.

Often, customers return to share something they made from the last book they borrowed: cookies, a slice of cake, or even sourdough bread. It's deeply moving; when books come alive and create connections, our daily lives take on a little more meaning.

Democratizing specialty coffee and removing that “untouchable” or pretentious label from it. We always say our mantra: “Specialty isn’t fancy, but it tastes like fancy.” We want people to lose their fear of trying something different.

We are inspired by a love for coffee as a ritual. We come from a Lebanese background where coffee is a language of respect and generosity.Coffee was always the central element at any family or friends gathering. It represents an open-door way of living: offering coffee is saying, “I open my home and my heart to you.”

Life, art, and photography are fleeting. This project was born from —and continues to grow through— a concept of resilience. We see it as something ever-changing: adapting to the market and the goals we want to achieve, while keeping its core identity. Our challenge is to avoid monotony, and we put our heart and dedication into making the gallery grow and evolve.

In the book world, it's a common saying that you'll never have the book a customer asks for. Our bookstore is more about being captivated by the opportunity presented by a book that happens to occupy a certain space.

Bookstores have basic routines: sweeping, taking out the trash, organizing books, etc. One of the most exciting moments happens when books arrive that need to be cataloged, appraised, or even researched. The world of used books is a map without end.

We expanded our ideas, our activities, our commitment to the world of books, to our community, to the causes we consider just. We broadened our way of thinking and seeing the world of books in which we were moving.

What always guides us is the certainty that within the chaos that this great city can be, there are always those who seek an oasis of tranquility. And our intention is that they find it at Clarice.

The bookstore was born from the idea of ​​bringing rare, unique, collectible, and hard-to-find books to readers from different parts of the world. From the beginning, we sought to offer a different perspective on books, one that fosters a sense of discovery. 

When someone comes to the bookstore looking for something special, it's like starting a treasure hunt or embarking on a shared journey between us and the customer. However, the most rewarding part happens when they return and tell us how much they enjoyed the book, and that's when the treasure hunt begins again. 

I thought about the creativity required to set up a bookstore: the space design, the layout, and, of course, the selection. Having an independent bookstore is also a way to express yourself.

Everything that is part of contemporary art is present at EXIT. I think its specialization is what makes the difference. It has also become a meeting point for artists, gallery owners, curators, cultural managers, and the general public interested in art. 

We're interested in working with photographers who are passionate about analog photography. We'd love to collaborate with them on reviewing and producing their portfolios, experimenting with tests, sharing processes, and giving them a firsthand look at how an image is created from scratch.

We are influenced by Japanese spirituality and the dedication they put into crafts and techniques like sashiko, in which, through patience and dedication, they create beautiful and aesthetically pleasing repairs. Thus, we identify each roll as a unique vision that requires patience, care, and respect.

I find it interesting to create a routine and a ritual within Simón. I think that being on two such busy avenues allows you to choose to own the street, become a part of other people's daily lives, and also create a community among the neighboring stalls.

We're always looking to collaborate. It's one of our goals: to be the café with the most collaborations, because that's what the name means: compay is friend, compay is family, it's community.

We're designers by profession, and we design basically everything for Trama, from the mugs to the bookcases, so some things fell by the wayside over time. But they're already in progress; we like the idea of ​​Trama as a place of constant change.

The lamb in the logo is the spirit animal of chefs Poppy and Federico. The logo was illustrated by Angelo Vasta, a friend and acquaintance of the chefs, and was intended to reflect a youthful side, with country colors that would convey Poppy's energy.

We'd love to invite someone from the world of design or gastronomy who shares our way of thinking, perhaps a Mexican designer or a young chef experimenting with local ingredients. The idea would be to do a short-term collaboration: a special menu or a temporary installation that unites coffee, art, and craftsmanship.

There are many people who have supported us, contributed, and added to our work, and that is of great value and deserves incredible respect and admiration. Meeting people who are willing to collaborate and share is a great inspiration at CRC.