A brand new all-day café has sprung up in Vancouver’s downtown, with an area impressed by North American nostalgia. Behind the interiors is Vancouver-based McKinley Studios, who took inspiration from the Nineteen Nineties – baseball clubhouses, early report outlets, and varsity iconography – for the two,800 square-foot area. McKinley Studios labored collaboratively on the inside design with proprietor Jess Reno, who beforehand based the award-winning Nemesis Espresso (ranked the highest espresso store in Canada by the World’s 100 Greatest Espresso Retailers 2026 listing).
Bam Bam, Vancouver
(Picture credit score: Picture by Ema Peter)
‘As quickly as you stroll in, there’s an emphasis on instantly feeling the social side and a buzz of exercise,’ says architect Walker McKinley, the founder and CEO of McKinley Studios. ‘You’re greeted by the workforce, the music is entrance and centre, and the expertise unfolds naturally from there.’ Strolling in, waxed stainless-steel counters stretch throughout the area, with a curved cherry veneer bar. Constructed-in audio system pay homage to founder Reno’s love of music, in addition to the report store nostalgia inspiration. On the countertop, an attractive array of donuts and pastries sit on stainless-steel pedestals, all baked in-house.
Anchored by heat woods and metal, the remainder of the interiors comprise distinct but interconnected areas that steadiness nostalgic references with a futurist sensibility, underlining the design with a freshness and dynamism. ‘Jess and the workforce wished to construct an experiential world,’ says McKinley. ‘Our method was to create a sequence of episodic areas throughout the inside, every centered on completely different moments.’
(Picture credit score: Picture by Ema Peter)
(Picture credit score: Picture by Ema Peter)
A retro-futuristic metallic couch and armchair are a compelling centrepiece, whereas a vibrant inexperienced communal banquette desk is accented by an orb-like chandelier from Vancouver lighting studio A-N-D (the model’s Pebble sconces additionally characteristic close to the doorway). A devoted retail area with powder blue lacquer shelving shows the Bam Bam’s debut attire assortment, which pulls inspiration from classic varsity attire and options their bulldog iconography. All through, work from Filipp Jenikae reference early hip hop artists and avenue images.
The menu at Bam Bam is playfully nostalgic. Basic coffees are served alongside speciality drinks like a cherry pie matcha, an apple pie latte, and diner-inspired cream sodas. A rotating assortment of pastries is on provide, corresponding to a strawberry shiso doughnut or a honey sea salt roll, alongside a menu that options crispy fried rooster sandwiches. A number of cocktails, corresponding to a strawberry shiso negroni or scorching honey margarita, extends the attractive nostalgia into the evenings.
(Picture credit score: Picture by Ema Peter)
(Picture credit score: Picture by Ema Peter)
Bam Bam is situated at 160 W Georgia St, Vancouver, BC V6B 4P4, Canada
