A little rebellious, a lot like home

For years, opening a café was something Wei Lu and Malte Thies imagined doing much later in life.

It was their retirement dream: The two of them, older and presumably still bickering, running a little café together.

Then life reminded them that some dreams aren’t worth putting off.

Wei and Malte first met thousands of miles from Philadelphia. Wei was attending graduate school in Rome, studying architecture, while Malte was hitchhiking through Italy before starting college. Their meeting eventually turned into a relationship that remained long-distance for about three years before Malte moved to the United States.

As they built a life together, the idea of someday opening a café stayed with them. But following a sudden death in the family, “someday” started to feel too far away.

“We always day-dreamed about opening a cafe in retirement, where we could be the old, bickering couple running everything,” Malte said. “After a sudden death in the family we decided that waiting until retirement was not an option anymore.”

So they started looking for a space in the neighborhood they already called home.

The result was Rebel & Wolf, a café shaped as much by the community surrounding it as by the couple who opened its doors.

For Wei and Malte, staying in their own neighborhood was intentional. They had already lived there for several years, knew their neighbors and believed they understood what was — and wasn’t — already available.

“Instead of opening ‘just another coffeshop’ we wanted to make sure we offer things the other shops in the area didn’t,” Malte said. “We also fell in love with the neighborhood, and our neighbors so it felt like just the right spot to become a bigger part of our community.”

A neighborhood living room

That sense of belonging influenced nearly every aspect of Rebel & Wolf.

From the beginning, Wei and Malte wanted customers to feel less like they were walking into a business and more like they were visiting someone they knew.

“We want people to feel like they are walking into a friend’s living room — a place they feel welcomed and comfortable,” Malte said. “A place where not everything is perfect but a space that reflects the people in it. Creative, homey, warm and a little rebellious.”

Even the café’s name reflects that playful spirit.

One inspiration is Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are, in which Max’s bedroom transforms into a forest after he is sent to his room for being too wild. But the name is also a nod to two members of Wei and Malte’s own family: their daughter, Mila, and their dog, Wylee — their own “little Rebel and (almost) wolf.”

Creating a place where families felt comfortable was especially important to the couple. But rather than dictating exactly what the café should become, they hoped customers would eventually take some ownership of it themselves.

That’s exactly what happened.

A seed library became part of the space. Craft nights and music nights brought people together. Local artists began displaying work on the walls. Each addition gave customers another reason to walk through the door that had little to do with grabbing caffeine on the way somewhere else.

“We were hoping that people would like the café and make it their own; which has happened in so many ways,” Malte said. “From our seed library, craft night, music nights and the local artists on the walls — none of it would be possible without our awesome community.”

Perhaps the clearest indication of what Rebel & Wolf had come to mean to its regulars arrived in the form of a wedding invitation.

Two customers asked Wei and Malte if they would serve coffee at their wedding.

For Malte, the request meant something beyond a compliment about what was in the cups.

“It showed that not only did they like the coffee enough to want some of it during their celebration but also liked us enough to want us there,” he said.

Built locally

That neighborhood-first philosophy extends to what Rebel & Wolf serves.

Wei and Malte try to source locally whenever possible, keeping their dollars circulating among other Philadelphia businesses.

Their coffee comes from North Philadelphia. Bread and pastries are baked on or near Washington Avenue. Vegetables come from Giordano’s, just down the road.

“We go local wherever we can,” Malte said.

Behind the bar, the couple also puts its own spin on the menu.

Rebel & Wolf makes its syrups in-house, giving the team room to experiment with new drinks and allowing customers to get involved in the process. Regulars frequently help test potential additions before they make their way onto the menu.

Chai lattes are a year-round favorite, but Malte believes the café’s creativity is best displayed through its seasonal coffees and spritzers.

The Rebel Spritzer combines watermelon, rice vinegar, lemon and sparkling water, while the café’s pumpkin spice latte puts more emphasis on spice than sweetness.

It’s another example of Rebel & Wolf’s philosophy: familiar enough to make people comfortable, but with enough personality to keep things interesting.

Or, perhaps, just a little rebellious.

Two perspectives, one café

Wei and Malte’s different professional backgrounds have also shaped the business.

Wei’s experience in architecture and equipment planning proved invaluable during the café’s construction, planning and installation. Her attention to detail helped the couple make efficient use of a limited space and avoid some of the headaches that come with opening a new business.

Malte initially studied chemical engineering before changing direction. He began working in Philadelphia cafés and restaurants to gain experience in food service and management, knowledge that later helped the couple choose equipment and understand the practical requirements of running their own shop.

Those different strengths continue to define their roles.

Wei still works her day job, which gives her some distance from the café’s daily operations and allows her to focus on the bigger picture and what might be coming next.

Malte spends more time behind the bar, turning ideas into menu items and implementing new concepts inside the café.

There is, however, one particularly short commute involved: The family lives above the shop.

That convenience also creates one of the biggest challenges of owning an independent business.

“It is sometimes hard to balance personal life and work especially since we live above the shop,” Malte said.

But when Malte looks around the café today, his greatest source of pride isn’t a particular drink, event or business milestone.

It’s the people.

He’s proud of “how many people come here every day — not just for the coffee but for the people behind the bar and environment we created.”

And that environment continues to change along with the community.

Rebel & Wolf regularly welcomes resident artists whose work transforms the walls. Another artist is preparing to take over the space soon, bringing a different style, palette and feel to the café.

“Every time this happens the vibe of the café changes with the new style, new colors, etc.,” Malte said.

It’s fitting for a coffee shop designed not to feel overly polished or static, but lived in.

Wei and Malte may have once imagined themselves growing old together behind the counter of a café.

They simply decided to start a little earlier.

And somewhere along the way, the neighborhood moved into their living room.