Heavy Coffee Bags Upstairs, Heavy Punching Bags Downstairs

If you have ever been at the cafe on any given morning, you know Ted.

Ted is the owner of 10th Street Boxing, located in the basement right below our shop.
When he is not prepping his morning classes or training down in the ring, he is usually upstairs grabbing his usual coffee before the day gets loud.

We love having our neighbours right under our feet.
Our staff heads downstairs to get beat up in his classes, his boxers come up for pre-workout coffee, and both spaces just feed off that morning energy.

We sat down with Ted for a quick Q&A about the boxing gym, and life in Kensington.

Upstairs we have people sitting with a cappuccino in the morning sun, and below their feet, you have people hitting heavy bags and sweating it out. What is it like running a gym right underneath an active coffee roasterie?

Ted: It’s great to have for my 630am classes. A lot of my members go up here.

Can you actually smell the beans roasting down in the gym when we run a batch on the roaster?

Ted: Definitely.

Do you grab your morning cup at the cafe first thing, or do you unlock the studio and get the ring ready before coming up for coffee?

Ted: I drop off my bag and then come up.. usually.

The Boxing on 10th under The Roast is an iconic spot in Kensington. How long have you been coaching here, and what makes this neighbourhood different from the rest of Calgary?

Ted: Iconic is a strong word! Thanks! We opened in September 2017…I think this neighborhood is unique for the rest of the city and province…very progressive in comparison…not your usual neighborhood for a boxing gym…but our differences are interesting and make it meaningful to be here.

How did you get into boxing in the first place, and what makes you want to open a gym right here in Kensington?

Ted: I got into boxing because I wanted please my Dad who grew up in a strict religious home and vowed his sons would be less.. meek. We lived across the street and boxing gyms were becoming all the rage… since none of my employers were doing it right all the various gyms I worked at I decided to do it myself. Best decision ever. Kensington has such a high population density and it’s only getting higher and that’s a key having a successful gym I think.

Boxing can feel intimidating from the outside. How do you build a community down here where both total beginners and seasoned fighters feel at home?

Ted: That’s funny you should say that the only season fighter is me although some of my coaches in the past have had amateur experience. It is a criteria to be a coach at my gym. You built it just like that by putting people a different skill levels and backgrounds together. We have a common goal in mind.

Do you see your boxers heading straight up the stairs to grab a coffee or a bag of beans after a tough session?

Ted: Not after, coffee is usually a pre-workout, and then beer afterwards if it’s a nice day and you happen to own a Bar or someone who does.

How long have you been coming up the stairs to grab a cup of coffee and what is your usual order when you walk up to the cafe?

Ted: I’ve been coming up here since as long as the gym was open… I don’t remember my order, I’ve been coming in for so long, but you gals all do.

If you had to describe both the gym downstairs and the coffee shop upstairs in one word, what would it be?

Ted: Grass roots of a community.

The Real Stars of 10th Street NW

At the end of the day, The Roasterie is just the living room where it all collides. The actual rockstars of our story are the people who walk through our doors every single day.

Whether it is locals who live down the block, folks who moved from Kensington or Sunnyside years ago and still drive 20 minutes back just for their morning cup, the crew from Pages bookstore sitting around the table for their weekly meeting, or our local cycle crew rolling up every Thursday morning for cappuccinos, you get a completely different mix of characters sitting together every single day.

The coffee is just a quiet companion in their mug, sitting there quietly while people catch up, talk about life or work with a good friend.
We just provide the space, but the people are the real story here.
Having neighbours like Ted right downstairs, and regulars like you sitting at the bar, is what keeps 10th Street NW feeling like home.

1 3
View all