Location

8 Crown Rd, St Margarets, Twickenham TW1 3EE

Details

‍Monday | 7:30 am – 4:00 pm
Tuesday | 7:30 am – 4:00 pm
Wednesday | 7:30 am – 4:00 pm
Thursday | 7:30 am – 4:00 pm
Friday | 7:30 am – 4:00 pm
Saturday | 8:30 am – 3:30 pm
Sunday | 8:30 am – 3:30 pm

Website

Instagram

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Outside Wylie's in St Margarets, Steph and Freddie settle onto the bench by their café's entrance, the familiar hum of morning trade filtering through the open door behind them. The couple speak with a measured ease about their journey from advertising executives to neighbourhood coffee purveyors — a path that began not with a business plan, but with a feeling: that moment of Mediterranean calm they discovered at Wylie's Baths, where concrete met ocean and time seemed to suspend itself. Now, three years after opening their first shop, they've expanded to Southfields and are eyeing a third location.

Take me back to 2018 — you're living in Sydney, experiencing this different coffee culture. Walk me through the journey from those days at Wylie's Baths to opening your first shop in St Margarets in 2021.

Steph Barry: It was a very off-the-cuff journey. It was never something we always knew we wanted to do. We were both in advertising, even in Australia. We came back at the end of 2019 and realised that the coffee shops we experienced in Australia we didn't really find here. We were trying to replicate, to find similar places. In Sydney, coffee shops were like UK pubs — people would just go there and meet a friend, but instead of doing it at 7pm, they're doing it at 7am. We just couldn't really find that here.

Once we came back, we went into advertising again. Personally, I thought I can't do this anymore. I was selling my soul for ten years. I was done. We were both really passionate about coffee since being in Australia and travelling through Asia, so once I quit my job, I started to learn about coffee and got Freddie to do it with me.

Freddie Villiers: We were subconsciously creating this brand before even thinking about doing it. Living in Sydney, we were experiencing amazing coffee culture, then travelling around Asia — Japan probably more so. We spent a month walking around, going to roasteries and coffee shops, speaking to people, getting inspiration. We were taking photos of things that inspired us, not knowing that would become what Wylie's became. We were talking about colours, music, sounds. We were cultivating this brand without really knowing we were doing it.

In Sydney, coffee shops were like UK pubs — people would just go there and meet a friend, but instead of doing it at 7pm, they're doing it at 7am.

How long was the planning phase once you decided to open something?

F.V: We actually looked at our landlord proposal PDF yesterday to refresh our memory. November 2020, we wrote this proposal — a ten-page deck with background to us, our vision, influences, imagery, a mood board of the space we wanted to create. It's pretty much bang on exactly what we are today.

S.B: November we saw the shop and opened in February. September was when we said, "Yeah, let's do a shop."

F.V: This was the one and only shop we saw. We didn't spend months looking for the ideal location. I know St Margarets very well — family and friends live around here. We knew that having a good community before opening was key. We were drawn to the area because it's surrounded by independents. There's a hairdresser that's been around for 21 years. I know the owners, called them and said there's this opportunity a couple doors down. They couldn't be more positive, which gave us confidence. As it was our first, we were coming into it with zero pressure and zero expectation. It was a huge risk, but one we both shared a really strong vision for.

The name Wylie's has such a great story. How does that Mediterranean calm from the Sydney ocean pool translate into what you've created here in London?

S.B: Wylie's Baths is a rock pool in Coogee that we used to go to on weekends — one of our favourite spots. Very rustic, very Mediterranean. You literally just had a rock pool and concrete, and you put your towel on the concrete. We just loved that vibe. When we were talking about names, there was something about it that stuck. It felt like the right atmosphere.

F.V: It was the feeling you felt when you said it — just brought back that nostalgia and calmness. We'd go there early morning, get our spot on the concrete, go upstairs, get a coffee and pastry, go back down and put our feet in the water. It was the most relaxed we'd ever felt. Trying to bring that ethos to the shop was what we were trying to create — a moment of calm in people's day.

How do you maintain that calmness during rush hour?

S.B: It can be hard. There are days where things don't go to plan — the timing goes wrong with the machine and you feel like a duck, frantically paddling underneath but having to say everything's fine, we'll just be a minute. It's about training staff to be confident. Things are going to go wrong, but if you're frantic about it, stressed about it, it doesn't help. You're not going to fix the problem any sooner, and it doesn't help translate to customers. We teach them how to maintain that calmness under pressure. We try to keep things simple — we don't overcomplicate, like to do a million things, coffees, food, smoothies, juices — we just strip it back and try to do less but really well.

How was the interior design process, being your own clients?

S.B: We're very fortunate that we have the same vision. If we were two people who saw it totally differently, I don't think you could do it yourselves — you'd need a third party to bring the ideas together. From the first time we saw the site, we both knew exactly where the counter would go, where the bench would be. We're very lucky we shared that vision. We just wanted to distill that calmness, have that natural world feeling, lots of plants. The imagery was really important.

F.V: Natural elements, nice and light, calming feeling. Music plays a massive part — we have our own playlist that we bring out every month. The artwork on the wall is from a friend who visited us in Sydney. She took the photographs that are still on the wall, and they have sheer nostalgia for us. On a cold wintery morning, I can look at that photo and it takes me directly back to that exact day. On the back wall, we've got an image of surfers on the horizon, taken by a quite famous photographer in Sydney called Aquabumps. That lived on our wall in our flat in Sydney, and I remember vividly carrying that huge frame back from the exhibition, then shipping it all the way home.

What did you learn from the first location that you brought to the second?

S.B: Number one: do not put the pastry cabinet on the corner. It's a nightmare to get into and clean. We saw it in our mind as soon as you walk in, this open glass, really appealing. But everyone's like, "How do I get in there?" You'll see team members cleaning it with legs sticking out because they have to climb in. It was a beautiful mistake. The second shop just has a giant cabinet you get into from the back, which is way better.

One challenge going from the first to second shop — the second is about two or three times bigger. Trying to take that warmth and atmosphere and have the same feel across a larger space is quite challenging. We took very similar elements — identical lampshades, machines, pictures on the wall — to replicate consistency. It's really nice when people who've been to both say they see the similarity, get the same feeling.

You work with Copper Coffee for espresso and rotate European roasters monthly for filter. How did you develop this approach?

S.B: When we first started, we thought selling beans online was going to make us millions. We swiftly realised it was not.

F.V: It was a cost-effective way to get into the market. With our design and marketing background, we could build the brand, packaging, website, set up e-commerce at no cost apart from hosting. That was our introduction to the industry — it gave us a platform to learn from.

S.B: We wanted to reach out to a local roaster. We didn't want to go to the big ones because we were intimidated. We wanted to start smaller and gain confidence. We were living in Esher at the time, so we reached out to Copper Coffee in Cobham. They'd started in February — father and son who'd placed the order for their roaster the day before our first lockdown. So they had this £80,000 roaster and no one to sell to. We created a great relationship and learned at the same time, which was really nice.

F.V: We're very involved in what espresso beans we bring in. We'll give them a brief — last month we had a Colombian, let's look at maybe an African, fruity, lighter for summer, something that works black but also with milk. They'll come back with options, we'll do sample roasts, even go for cuppings and vote on the best roasting profile. From what we've heard, working with bigger roasters, you don't get that level of involvement.

When we first started, we thought selling beans online was going to make us millions. We swiftly realised it was not.

How do you find the different European roasters for filter coffee?

S.B: Instagram is a big one. You'll see what other coffee shops are working with and build your network out. It's great when they find us and email saying they'd love to be featured — always a massive compliment.

F.V: The Coffee Festival is brilliant for networking and trying coffees. Instagram, recommendations, going into other coffee shops, trying guest filters.

S.B: Our team are great at it too. They'll go on holiday to Spain, come back with a bag of coffee they found, and everyone's got the same eye and palate that works with us. We're a very curious bunch who love to travel, and that's exactly what we look for in team members.

What surprised you most about actually running a coffee shop versus the romantic idea of it?

S.B: Generally, how difficult it is. The idea that running a coffee shop, you can come in, say hi to customers, get a coffee, do a few things on your laptop and leave — that's not the case. There's never a day either of us go to the shop where we're not lugging milk or stock or bin bags. There's always things that have to be moved around.

F.V: We chose to be open seven days a week for consistency and business, but being on every single day when you're not even in the shop is a lot. You never feel like you can catch up because you're always reacting to things happening in the present.

S.B: You don't foresee things that can arise. You have to learn to adapt incredibly quickly. I never thought I'd be unblocking drains, yet when there's a blocked drain, you don't want to call someone out. There's no one else to fix the problems — you have to do it. The firsts are always the scariest: first time the grinder breaks, machine breaks, you're broken into. All those firsts are gut-wrenchingly terrifying. But you learn, adapt, figure out the world doesn't end.

I never thought I'd be unblocking drains, yet when there's a blocked drain, you don't want to call someone out.

‍What advice would you give to someone sitting where you were in 2018, dreaming about opening their own coffee shop?

S.B: Try not to know everything before you do it. If you try to know everything, you almost will never do it. You have to face each thing as it comes — the good, the bad, everything, just take it one hurdle at a time. If your gut is telling you to do it, then do it. Don't try to predict everything because you're never going to, and you're almost going to scare yourself.

F.V: It's very easy to just say take the risk — I appreciate it's a huge financial risk and it's all very daunting. But that's the fun of it too. It's not for everyone, really hard work, but also really rewarding.

If your gut is telling you to do it, then do it. Don't try to predict everything because you're never going to, and you're almost going to scare yourself.

What would be your top three tips for aspiring café owners?

F.V: Number one: hire early. The first four months, Steph and I were here seven days a week and we turned into zombies. It wasn't good for the business or us personally.

S.B: Hire well to support you. Realise you're not going to please everyone — we're still learning this. We're perfectionists, and because what we've created is so personal, it's difficult when it doesn't translate to someone. But you can't take that personally. Create that separation between you and your business.

F.V: Trust your gut. Keep it authentic and true to you. There needs to be a reason for everything — for the brand story, for building the personality. It just needs to be true to you.

You've gone from one to two shops in three years. What's the plan?

S.B: It's funny, we always said three coffee shops and a wine bar. Everything we do is linked to a passion and interest of ours. There'll definitely be more — we're not going to settle with two. Once a shop is running, you kind of go, "I want to do it again." We're looking for number three. Nothing's signed, but we're looking at a site. Hopefully this year.

Freddie: For the second location, we knew Southfields was where we wanted to open. I grew up there, spent 16 years of my life there. It's not dissimilar to St Margarets in demographic — that neighbourhood residential vibe. It was underserved from a coffee perspective. There was this one unit that was empty for ages with no information, then one day I spotted a note on the window with the landlord's number. I called straight away.

S.B: He said, "We almost signed a contract, but it fell through yesterday." It always feels like because we trust our gut so much, we take the fortuitous moments. It's like a sign from the universe — we go with it.

When exploring South West London, make Wylie's an essential stop — whether in St Margarets for that original Mediterranean calm or in Southfields for the expanded experience. With a third location in the works and dreams of that wine bar still very much alive, follow @wyliescoffee on Instagram to watch their story unfold, one perfectly unhurried cup at a time.