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CALM stands for Comme à la maison, as in one's own home, "Guinguette" meaning country house with dance hall. And that is precisely the secret of CALM BAR & GUINGUETTE, combining the tranquility of a secluded place with the festive intimacy of old-fashioned friendships.
CALM stands for Comme à la maison, as in one's own home, "Guinguette" meaning country house with dance hall. And that is precisely the secret of CALM BAR & GUINGUETTE, combining the tranquility of a secluded place with the festive intimacy of old-fashioned friendships.
Louis Calderon and Leo Sebag, two young 28-year-old French boys, invested their energy and capital in a specific idea: to create a quiet corner in Bangkok where people could spend time as among old friends
It is not about a location that you give with immediacy, it is about a place that you really have to look for, an inner search before being physical and geolocated. CALM BAR & GUINGUETTE gathers in itself a specific idea, what is the basic principle of this project that speaks French in the lively and fervent heart of Bangkok: to find meaning in it all, in the name of Friendship.
When you are true friends, without any particular material interest in each other, you can freely confide in each other, you can open your heart, chat without any particular limits. If all around there is an intimate and at the same time festive atmosphere, even better, one will be able to enjoy the ioy of living even more.
Louis Calderon and Leo Sebag, two French both 28 years old, infused this idea not only with their own capital but with their entire lives. Leo Sebag has been living and working in Thailand for four years, Louis Calderon later joined him.
How did you come up with the idea of creating such a special location in Bangkok?
Leo and I have been friends for a long time -Louis replies- we practically met at the time of our university studies and since then we have not stopped hanging out, planning, dreaming together. We also had our dreams, individual and common, including that of leaving France and looking for new opportunities in another part of the World. Nowadays, for two young people like us, it is almost impossible to invest in opening a new business in France (also in Italy and the rest of the European Union, I might add, ed.), there are limitations in access to capital, few people bet on young people and their projects, credit ends up elsewhere, and then the whole standard of living and economics seems to treat young people as outsiders, as dreamers without their feet firmly planted on the ground. So, after studying the situation well and discussing this idea of ours for a long time, we decided to leave France and move here to Bangkok and open a place that would be a little different from the others already pre-existing in Thailand and -specifically- in Bangkok.
This is the first time I have seen the word "Guinguette" used in Bangkok
Yes, it is true. As is well known, the "Guinguettes" are those country houses -originally traceable not far from the metropolitan area of Paris but located in rustic and much quieter settings- where it was also possible to improvise group dances. Our idea -from the very beginning- was to transfer all that world here to Bangkok, which is the real innovation of CALM BAR & GUINGUETTE. To all that, from time to time, we also associate other factors and proposals: foosball, live music, dee jays from various corners of the Planet, we also organized events where you can learn how to dance Bachata, beer tastings, performances of famous tattoo artists that you could meet here in our location, in special events set up by us. The barber shop is also part of our initiatives and events that have been held here at our location.
Your location was officially opened on January 28, 2023, it seems you have already come a long way, in such a short time
Before we officially opened CALM BAR & GUINGUETTE, we were in Thailand two-three times, only then we presented detailed business models and submitted them to professional opinion leaders in their fields of economic and financial expertise and were always careful to distinguish ourselves from other existing chill bars. We, too, have craft beer and fresh roasted coffee of varieties grown in Thailand available in real time for our clientele, but the goal we have specifically focused on is that of the peaceful and friendly atmosphere that you can experience here with us, in the midst of the chaotic and hectic center of Bangkok. Everyone can feel comfortable, affordable and relaxed.
What kind of clientele has CALM BAR & GUINGUETTE attended and frequented to date?
These are mostly expats but over time, more and more educated and open-minded young people in particular from Bangkok have approached us, just as there has never been a shortage of affluent and curious clientele, always looking for something new in the Thai capital. This is one of the dominant features of Bangkok, as is well known, it is often said, "If you can't find something in Bangkok, you can't find it anywhere." Finally, I would like to add one last thing: CALM BAR & GUINGUETTE has decided to be "pet free," so animals that humans are fond of and want to bring with them are welcome and have their own natural space here with us.
CALM BAR & GUINGUETTE, 231/2 Sukhumvit 31, Bangkok, Thailand Tel.: 064 197 0432