ANGELES CITY — Businessman Luis De Guzman and his wife Frances first
came to the Clark Freeport during their honeymoon last July 9, 2023. This journey to Pampanga and Angeles City later changed their lives — for good.
Their wedding gift from their parents was a stay at the Swissotel Clark. The young couple immediately fell in love with Clark and nearby areas, including the Friendship area here where there are several food outlets and other businesses.
“We saw that it is a developing area after we drove around Clark and outside of it. We saw a bright future,” chorused the De Guzman couple.
Then in just over a month, they packed all their belongings from the BGC in Taguig and transferred to Clark.
Luis and Frances were not just satisfied moving to Clark. They wanted to do more.
The De Guzman couple want to share their common passion – love for arts and reading books. They also want to help the booming economy.
In December 2023, they opened Margaux Coffee. It is located at Don Juico Avenue here and a few meters away from the Friendship Gate of Clark.
Margaux is not just your ordinary coffee shop. It has some 200 books, including signed limited editions.
“We wanted to promote love for reading to the community,” they stressed.
Margaux Coffee accepts membership for its book club. The fee is P1,000 for a member per year. Members get 10 percent discount on coffee and cookies.
They also accept a “day pass “ which costs P200. This is for people who live far from their coffee shop.
“We had customers from Bataan who availed of the day pass,” said Luis.
Today, Margaux already has 70 members despite being in operations for only over four months.
“We will limit the membership to 100. We don’t want them to crowd the place,” they said. “We want our growing clients to enjoy their drinks while reading their favorite books.”
Some of the notable books are: Babel, R.F. Kuang; Beach Read, Emily Henryl; and A Court of Thorns and Roses, Sarah J. Maas.
Luis admitted that his wife is the one who has a deep passion for the arts.
Frances will lead upcoming activities at Margaux to promote arts.
On April 28, there will be a cake decorating class. It will be done in cooperation with “Lolo Cooks.”
On May 3, there will be a pottery hand building class. It is presented in partnership with “Sanpotceramics.”
Recently, the Young Entrepreneurs of Pampanga (YEP) led by its president, Melvin Tan, held its regular meeting at Margaux. The De Guzmans are members of YEP. The coffee shop is fast becoming a venue for important events.
The coffee shop, which was named after the cat of Frances, serves quality coffee (60 percent arabica and 40 percent robusta) and “signature” cookies. It uses plant-based milk called Oatside.
Marqaux Coffee is open daily except Wednesday. Its operating hours are from 1 pm to 11 pm. On Fridays and Saturdays, it is open until 2 am.
The De Guzmans also urged students wanting to study and review for examinations to visit their cozy place.
At Margaux Coffee, drinks and books mix well. Come now and enjoy a different kind of experience – it is worth it.
