Grandma Jo: a creative café on the theme of memory

A new creative café has opened its doors in the heart of downtown Nice. Mamie Jo was founded by two sisters passionate about creation. Open since July 17, this place offers a flashback to afternoons at their grandmother’s house creating memories.

Carried along by a classical musical atmosphere, customers wander through a space with muted colors. Mamie Jo is a place combining the concept of coffee-shop with that of DIY workshops (Do It Yourself).

This Nice creative café embodies a tribute to the one who gave Léa and Lorie a taste for creating: their grandmother. If life’s turbulence separated the two sisters for a time, chance led them to reunite on the Côte d’Azur. At 16 Rue de l’Hôtel des Postes, the inseparable pair wished to create a place where visitors would be warmly welcomed, as they were at their grandma Jo’s. “Her door is always open and we never leave with an empty stomach,” explained Lorie with an amused air.

Accessible since July 17, this space also offers beverages and some sweet childhood treats. The two sisters managed to spark curiosity by documenting the genesis of this project on social media: from construction to workshop design. With distinct but complementary backgrounds, Léa and Lorie realized the importance of these moments of sharing and passing on knowledge over a cup of coffee.

Creation at the heart of the concept

Faced with the ever-growing trend of coffee-shops, the two young women decided to share their love of creating objects with their own hands. Mamie Jo offers the opportunity to write a letter, paint on textiles, sculpt and color objects or even compose a piece of jewelry in your own image. Driven by creative souls, each person is guided and advised. After an hour and a half of creation, customers systematically leave with the memory of a moment outside of time.

For the two managers, this concept embodies a true symbol. “We spent enormous amounts of time at our grandparents’ home and our grandmother taught us everything she knew how to do,” explained Lorie. “I remember she would often go to stores and she would always try to find new activities because she knew all her grandchildren were coming,” she added with a smile and a bright look in her eyes.

In a world where stress and pressure are omnipresent, creative workshops provide psychological and physical balance. Léa and Lorie wanted to create a place where “we can spend a moment of creation, leaving our problems at the door,” emphasized Lorie. Furthermore, this art of creating with your own hands allows you to gain confidence and stimulate self-esteem. Personal investment inevitably leads to a final result. At Mamie Jo, no level is required to create your own memory.

A tribute to memories

The workshops were created in the image of the childhood experienced by grandma Jo’s little girls. The letter-writing workshop holds an even more authentic meaning for the managers. This activity references the letter exchanges between Léa and her grandparents while she was in the United States. “Letters come back and leave a trace of everything that happened, it’s too important to keep this kind of memory,” declared Lorie. This workshop consists of writing a letter, which will be sent to the person of your choice, one year or three years later.

“We recreate a great childhood memory, without putting all the intimacy of our grandparents into it,” indicated Lorie. This place invites you to take the time to create new memories, with friends or family. “Some parents come to spend time with their children, they don’t have the opportunity to experience this kind of moment when they put them in day camp,” explained one of the managers.

A month after its opening, the creative café has already developed a loyal clientele. Whether to try a new workshop or to repeat an experience, some visitors always end up coming back.