who we are

ヤッホー! Nice to meet you! I’m Sarah, owner of Cotton’s Coffee and this is my cat, Cotton (I know, I know. We’re adorable).

There is so much I could tell you, but I think the most important is what we’re trying to do here at this little shop. As a mixed race, South-East London girlie, Peckham has been a second home to me, it’s so fitting that this ended up being the location of my first (and hopefully very successful) business!

My passion lies in the community and what I can do to facilitate others coming together in a real, welcoming space. I have a vision for Cotton’s to be a peaceful meeting space for all and I hope to implement and facilitate clubs and group meeting within our four small walls!

So why the Japanese theme? Well….it all started in Year 9 with a lunchtime club. I thought, “Yeah, Japanese could be cool. I like Pokémon.” Then GCSE Japanese came into play, then A-level, then suddenly I was getting a BA in the language. Then I was living….in Kyoto! Half my life has been spent learning more and more about this country. I plunged myself headfirst into the culture and learnt so much (maybe too much, I’m a bit of a nerd). So to answer the question, I’m a bit obsessed.

While living in Japan, I relied HEAVILY on shops like 7-11 and FamilyMart (Japanese convenience stores) for my meals. They really got me through uni there. Then, upon returning, I felt a gaping hole in my life, there’s just nothing like them here. Part of my aspiration is to start something similar here, but with British culture in mind. Currently, I have no idea how it will look, but for the meantime, Cotton’s will slowly chip away at that vision!

I can’t wait to see you all come in through the door and hope you find Cotton’s Coffee to be the joyous experience I want it to be!