I’ve been to Requiem several times, and honestly I was blown away the first time I even stepped through those doors. I saw a video on Facebook about the place and I told my husband all about it. A few days later I got a phone call from my husband telling me that Requiem was only about a block away from where he works. So after getting off early one day from work I decided to head over and see it.
The stained glass mural alone is all worth it in my book. It is beyond beautiful! Check it out!
I was able to snag an interview with the owner Kris Irons.
Have you always wanted to run an establishment like this?
The inspiration for this cafe came from how I spent my later teen years homeless living in my car after my parents went through a brutal divorce. I ended up spending time in coffee shops to feel a sense of belonging. It’s hard to find that living in your car. Years later, when I found some stability for myself, I started thinking about how I felt living in my car and wanted to give a place of peace, comfort, and relaxation to everyone who needs it so they wouldn’t have to feel the way I felt. Requiem represents true immersion and escapism. Even if you don’t have the means to watch movies or play video games, you can come here and feel like you’re inside of one and escape the world for a while.
What were you hoping to achieve when you opened up this cafe?
I was hoping to provide people a fantasy home away from home. It should be magical and comforting.
I see gaming systems and a huge tabletop, do you encourage your customers to use the surroundings?
People are encouraged to play games, come in cosplay, and truly celebrate all the things we love like books, movies, games, sci-fi, and fantasy.
I love the loyalty card, it feels like a real quest! Is that what you were going for?
We want people to have fun coming here and feel like they’re exploring a new world and finding new things. They should feel like adventurer’s on a quest.
How did you decide what food and drink to serve?
I was a big fan of coffee based drinks, particularly flavorful lattes. Show me a new drink with a flavor combination I haven’t tried and I’ll be all over it. The first flavored latte we had here was the “Bonfire” latte (Kind of a reference to Dark Souls) which has s’mores flavor and we serve it with actual toasted marshmallows. Potions are also fun which is reminiscent of being in a fantasy world. We are always experimenting and finding new things. We are excited to add new colorful items to the menu.
Do you plan to add more to the establishment?
We are always looking to add more. Bookshelves for all the boardgames people donate to us, better acoustics, updated menu displays, and more are on the horizon for us
I get the feeling you may be a Final Fantasy fan, am I right?
Final Fantasy was a huge inspiration for me growing up, as well as one of the main artists who helped sculpt and design Requiem, Heather Hermann, who also designed the stunning 14ft stained glass mural in our castle area. You can find Yoshitaka Amano art books in our sci-fi area and you can see how that inspired us.
Anything else you want to add?
We’re excited to bring people into the world of Requiem more in 2020 with stories told through multiple mediums in the universe. Comic books, art, enchanting characters, colorful merchandise, and more are stuff people should look forward to Requiem bringing to life. There’s a whole deep lore to the universe full of magic, mystery, and adventure with a whole prism of personalities to enjoy. You can learn about how a medieval castle and space ship can exist side by side, how Requiem’s cozy tree acquired its nook, and more so you can feel more connected to the universe like you’re part of something bigger.
If you have the time I suggest you go and check it out. I recommend the millennial toast and the mana drink, my go to items. And always check out their website and Facebook for updates and more events happening.
