Phil & Sebastian Roastery to Anchor Foodie Mall in Historic Calgary Building

Rendering of the Simmons Building. Courtesy of the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation.

A roastery and bar from venerable Calgary-based Phil & Sebastian Coffee Roasters will be at the heart of a new foodie destination in an historic building in the city’s East Village.

The Simmons building, a 1912 brick factory and warehouse structure that once produced bedding for World War II soldiers, is going to be transformed into a restaurant destination and high-end culinary mall, one of the biggest project in a six-years-and-counting neighborhood redevelopment plan. Phil & Sebastian, created by Phil Robertson and Sebastian Sztabzyb, has been included among the anchor tenants. The roastery will be joined by Charbar, the latest project of Charcut Roast House founders Connie DeSousa and John Jackson, as well as a new location for Calgary’s Sidewalk Citizen Bakery.

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According to a recent Calgary Herald report, the businesses were chosen among some 40 food-focused applicants not only because of their ability to draw traffic, but also because they fit with larger revitalization goals for the East Village. The Simmons project will house Phil & Sebastian’s fifth retail space, all in Calgary.

“Our vision for the Simmons is that we’re creating a hyper-local sense of business, where all of our businesses are feeding off of each other,” Charcut’s DeSousa told the Herald. “It’s a huge responsibility, coming into this building — to make it the anchor of this community and give it the energy this community deserves.”

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The Simmons building project is expected to be complete around the same time that several new high-end condo projects are opening in the neighborhood, which sits along the Bow River. The Calgary Municipal Land Corporation, the city branch in charge of the East Village Redevelopment, offers some insight into what to expect from the new Phil & Sebastian space:

Phil and Sebastian’s new roasterie at the Simmons Building will combine a warm, open café experience with a unique meeting place where Calgarians watch their coffee come to life. The engineers-turned-coffee crafters share what it takes to make a rewarding cup of quality coffee, from sourcing and roasting to brewing, training and tasting. Drawing on inspiration from travels in Scandinavia, England and California, Phil & Sebastian are brewing an East Village coffee destination like no other.

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