
Coffee king Sam James may have a bevy of bustling shops and one of the city's hottest roasteries but he still finds plenty of time for reading. We followed around the ultra popular entrepreneur for a day in his busy life—to see where, when, and how he reads.

9:00 am: I usually arrive around 8:30 or so to check on my staff and say hi to whoever comes through the door. If it’s quiet and all is well I like to actually have a coffee and read a bit—just like a lot of our customers do. Whether it's reading news on my phone or a chapter from one of Malcolm's Gladwell's books (Gladwell is pretty much a constant in my life), this is one of my go-to times to read. I even have my own reading nook in the corner. Nobody touches the stool!

I know a lot of regulars, especially at this location. Actually, that's where I get a lot of my book recommendations. My friend Rocky always has awesome suggestions.

11:30 am: Closer to noon I like to visit my shop in The Path (an underground walkway linking 30 kilometres of shopping, services and entertainment in Toronto) to check on staff and help out if they're busy. Things are under control today so I finish the chapter I had started earlier.

Spills happen, especially in a coffee shop. I have a waterproof (coffee-proof) Aura H2O. A quick trip to the sink to rinse it off (with some concerned customers looking on) and I'm back to business.


1:00 pm: Time for our final stop. Home base. The roastery. This is actually where I spend most of my time. I usually work until about 7pm, so I take quite a few breaks throughout the day, a bit of skateboarding on the half pipe, some free throws on the office net (I shoot around 70% from the line, if I'm concentrating) and of course some reading.

Follow Sam James on Instagram: @samjamescoffeebar
Check out his website here.