BC Business
The real estate developer aims to put Surrey first by partnering with fan-favourite Nemesis Coffee
It’s not the easiest time to consider purchasing a home or condo. You’ve read about the province’s real estate struggles before (possibly here, here, or here), but that hasn’t stopped developers from, well, developing. We’re still amidst an ever-growing housing crisis, which means while we do need new builds, the average person probably already feels like they’re overpaying for housing which means additional amenities (like a gym, pool or if lucky, a sauna) are a main selling point.
Marcon, a 40-year-old construction and development firm out of the Fraser Valley has decided that in order to reach potential customers, it’s going to do more than create 3D maps of planned condos—it’s going to meet them where they already are by building a third space that entices members of the community to the location of their newest in-process build (and current housing/sales office) at Surrey Pavillion.
Nic Paolella, Marcon executive vice-president, explains how the intention is to both build confidence in the real estate market while also building community: “We’re living in a world with lots of challenges and constraints, and so our job is to figure out how do we navigate that environment to try to create the best possible outcome that we can for people who need what we offer,” he says. “We’re committed to delivering something that is good and livable first and foremost…[but] there’s this promise that if you live in an urban setting, your home is a little bit more compact, has a little less ability for you to do all the different life events within it. It’s really about the commercial environment. Really about the fabric of the city outside of the walls and that we are really wanting to be an active contributor in.”
Enter Nemesis Coffee. The coffee shop—best known for the striking architecture of its tulip-shaped building on Great Northern Way (and for it’s down-right fantastic mortadella breakfast sandwich)—has partnered with Marcon to open their newest location at Surrey Pavillion, the coffee shop’s first non-Vancouver location. “There’s just a lot of arts and culture and education and transportation happening at the core of Surrey Central,” says Nemesis CEO and founder Jess Reno. “The architecture and the significance of it and the way that that city’s setting itself up for its future is pretty damn compelling.”
The new Nemesis location is already open, and it’s buzzy for a slew of reasons: an expanded brunch menu that includes pork belly eggs benedict and squash hash, as well as a new creative cocktail menu with beverages like the matcha ube milk punch (clarified whiskey, matcha, mango and ube foam). Reno says that customers are encouraged to stay a while. “It’s quantifiable, this feeling of a true third space, where it acts more like a linchpin or like a hub where culture and conversation intersect. That’s what Nemesis is about. Our expression is food but we really just care about people having a great time.”
Because the location of Nemesis is on the same grounds as Marcon’s new sales office for 102+Park, Paoella says it takes the pressure off of potential customers to make a decision on buying a condo right away and instead allows them to focus on what it would feel like to live in that neighbourhood. “We believe that these types of partnerships represent the future, that it’s not enough just for a developer to have a glitzy rendering. I think when you see buildings that are curated with great retail, the ground plan and F&B and stuff you wear that image of the building as pride of ownership or pride of where you live.”