Brussels, how many cherry blossom trees have you already passed by?

Living in Plasky, apart from being one of the greatest neighbourhoods of Brussels, comes with a free activity every spring - watching cherry blossom trees, especially in Avenue Emile Max. But spring comes in many other forms around this city, and that’s what we’ll cover today.

This week, I’m so happy to finally introduce a segment I have been meaning to for a few months now - spotlighting a concrete Brussels business and the people behind it. For this issue, I was actually invited to test a brand new café in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert. First time as a content creator, yay! You have no idea how good it felt that someone wanted me to cover their establishment, solely based on this newsletter. You all made that happen, thank you ❤️

I’m also really excited to announce our first event this spring - A thrift shop walk by Thinking Threads. Mark your calendars for 9 May and stay tuned for more info in the next issue 😉

In this issue:

A few weeks ago, I received an email from one of my subscribers, Lue. She told me about a new Scandinavian café and shop she had just opened, and invited me for a visit. I obviously got very curious and decided to test it for myself last Friday. This segment was written after an official invitation, but I had full creative control over my review.

The Library Café & Shop opened on 12 February in the residential neighbourhood of Marcel Thiry in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, and it’s exactly what I imagine under hygge. Spacious, cosy, heart-warming, and full of light. It feels like you are entering someone’s living room. And if you’re wondering if this café is linked in any way to The Library coworking spaces in Brussels, it is.

Background story: Anne-Sofie, a well-known Danish entrepreneur, was lacking a working space in Brussels where she could get to know new people as a new mom. She decided to rent a house in Ixelles, and that’s how The Library group coworking was born. While that particular branch no longer exists, the ones in Montgomery and Ambiorix are very popular with long-term clients. Since this last business adventure happened in 2016, Anne-Sofie has craved a new business venture; a space which didn’t need a membership commitment, but could still gather people from the community to meet and cowork. An idea for a café was sparked.

Now enter Lue. A fan of Anne-Sofie’s work, having wished to open her own café for the longest time, unsure about pursuing her career in Copenhagen. When she reaches out to Anne-Sofie, and she tells Lue she’s opening a new venture in Brussels that she needs help with, it sounds like a story taken from a movie. But it’s real life: Lue is now managing the café and living her dream.

What’s on the menu: Don’t expect matcha here; this café wants to be true to its geographical origins. You may order several types of coffee, tea, chai (what I went for, delicious), hot chocolate or healthy sodas. You’ll be able to satisfy your taste buds with large cinnamon and cardamom rolls (the latter was fabulous!), choco-hazelnut rolls, gluten-free cake or other gluten-free snacks. Prices are standard for any similar kind of café; 3-5.2 EUR for drinks, and between 5 and 6 EUR for baked goods.

Why it’s worth a visit: As the name suggests, it’s not only a café, but also a shop. You can buy an array of Danish products, ranging from beauty sleep and wellness, snacks, chocolate, design, to tea and sparkling tea in a bottle! As a mother, it was also important for Anne-Sofie to adapt her space to parents. It’s the “little” details, such as a pram ramp, kids’ corner and a changing table in the restroom that already distinguish it from so many other cafés I have visited in Brussels. And last but not least, if you want to work from this café, you’re welcome to stay for hours without having to order consistently.

What’s coming in the future: Anne-Sofie and Lue would like to contribute to their community by hosting events. Lue is an avid runner and wants to start her own neighbourhood run club. One of the recent customers mentioned she would like to organise a knitting club. They’re going to actually put up a noticeboard in the café for activities like this.

While it’s intended as a year-round pop-up now to see how it does in the neighbourhood, I personally have no doubts that it will attract happy and recurring customers. I have become one.

Wait, I thought this newsletter was about Brussels? It is, my dear reader, but while Brussels’ greenery is amazing, it’s got nothing on some other nature-blooming activities around it. But OK, I’ll include one Brussels-based, too.

For even more tips, you can check this article by The Bulletin.

Two weeks ago, I asked you for your favourite bakeries in Brussels. Not so many of you answered - don’t be shy next time! 😉

Here’s what you picked: