Many people associate rural Norway with a particular type of culture and mentality. "Everything moves a bit slowly in the countryside", they say, referring as much to the amenities as to the culture. Sisters Charlotte and Mariel wanted to do something about this.
Lauget Kaffi og kultur is located right in the heart of Sandane town centre. The small village is backed by the Jostedalsbreen glacier, high mountains with white peaks and fjord views from all directions. Here you'll find a little bit of everything, and a little bit of the whole village.
To leach has become a term for chatting, and the café's entire profile and atmosphere encourages people to do just that. Here you won't find a dozen separate small tables with few chairs, but a long table where you can enjoy what the Guild has to offer together: concerts, local food, art, a swap library and coffee from Solberg and Hansen. Quite simply a little culture shock in a positive sense, and the kind of place everyone wants to have in their neighbourhood.
From joking to serious
The idea behind Lauget kaffi og kultur started as an internal joke between the two sisters, who at the time were far away from both Sandane and the café business. Little did they know that a quick comment like "wouldn't it be fun to...", which in most cases would have been dismissed as daydreaming, would become their life's work.
Educated as archaeologists and organists, however, there was little reason for the sisters to start what would become Sandane's foremost cultural centre, or to move back to the village at all. The distance was both physical and mental, and a café was never the plan for either of them. Luckily, words worked wonders, and before they knew it, Lauget kaffi og kultur was a reality.
- "It's much easier to start something in a small place. Everyone knows each other here, so we knew right away who we needed to talk to," says Charlotte.
A longing for something special
For the sisters, it was just as much about starting something they missed in their home town, and one thing is certain: They're not afraid to explore new terrain - even in familiar territory. And they did so wholeheartedly.
The process was quick, and the road from dream to action was short. Suddenly, they had moved home, organised a space and formed a clear vision of what they wanted to create. All they had was the time and the road, but no furniture.
- We wanted to create a meeting place for different people who initially don't know each other. A place where there is room for everyone, but which might have disappeared in the crowd in a city.
The soulful room contains a hodgepodge of items from all over the village. That's how the dream itself came about. Dugnad, long days and a good dose of social media. Traditional meets modern - a bit like the place itself.
- "Before we opened, we used social media actively. It's always a gamble to open something on your own, so it was important for the café to get off to a good start," say the sisters.
And they got off to a good start. Over the course of an entire year, the sisters built up the village's expectations. They were secretive, creating engagement and curiosity. Every week, they released a new podcast that updated the community on the process.
- Our neighbours paid close attention and often came to the door with books, furniture and other equipment we needed. It was really nice.
A welcome meeting place
The café was a volunteer project in the true sense of the word, and a product of the whole village. Perhaps that's why the place has so much charm. In the cosy room, there's little to suggest that you shouldn't be able to feel at home.
- "We're lucky to be able to run a café in a place where people are proud of each other and keen to preserve the local offerings that exist. This makes it easier to operate here, even though the customer base is slightly smaller than in the cities," says Mariel.
Everything from the old milk churn that serves as a door opener and the homemade pallet tables to the apple crates that adorn the walls comes from the village itself. As does the love of the place. The whole village meets here for a chat over a cup of steaming hot quality coffee. Both coffee and culture - what more could you want?
