Second to serving up delicious coffee, Nelson the Seagull is known for its beautiful, unusual interior. The Gastown café’s remarkably high ceilings, original tile floors and industrial-sized kitchen and bakery distinguish it from the many others that occupy Vancouver’s trendiest neighbourhood. “The café wasn’t supposed to look this way,” says owner and head baker Jonathan Snelgar, who moved to Canada from South Africa in 2010 to open “a very small coffee bar” with his sister, Lee.
“But then this giant space became available and we fell in love with it,” he says. Faced with more square footage than they had bargained for, the siblings got creative, identifying everything they’d ever wanted in a café: perpetual scents of bread baking in an open-concept kitchen, enough tables to seat 50 customers and a full lunch menu.
A former photographer, Lee infused the space with her eclectic style, acquiring vintage furniture and artwork, including a framed print of Nelson Mandela in boxing gear. They opened their dream café in 2011, borrowing its name from the South African folk song, “The Seagull’s Name was Nelson.” The beloved tune was played on the radio to support Mandela during his time in prison, Jonathan says.
