There are a lot of good things about this coffee shop. There are also a lot of things which could be done to elevate it to the status of an excellent, local cafe space.
For starters: ambiance. There are some swell wall murals and a large, vivid piece near the front counter which saves the wall behind it from being a mere, load-bearing blank space for leaning against. Featuring abstract art, however, does not necessarily mean that abstract/modernist furniture and lighting must follow. The pendulum lights open up a space which already feels large and somewhat alienating; some large floor lamps with some solid, overstuffed couches would make patrons feel both comfortable and, well warmer. Take out the unused flatscreen TV in the corner- I've seen this more and more from cafe owners who tend to forget that patrons are usually cafe'ing in order to escape the bombardment of electronics. On that note: install some bookshelves, preferably with books. Put in a rug and ditch the furniture that looks like it belongs in a hotel lobby. Turn the adjacent room into a gallery for local artists and an open mic performance area in the evening and please, for the love of the gods, serve coffee and/or snacks from local sources. Preferably in a real mug, so that patrons can feel like they're enjoying a cuppa from their favorite home ceramic-ware. Ditch the Welch's juice and the sodas in the fridge; no one will drink the former. All will mutually benefit.
That being said, the young woman at the counter was INCREDIBLY friendly and brought my coffee over herself. Please give her a raise. The space is clean and there is a decent menu's worth of drinks on the wall. Best of all (and this is a bonus not to be taken lightly) there is free wifi, sans passcodes. There was some good motown on the stereo when I came in, which almost induces productivity. I'll be watching this place in the meantime in the hopes of seeing it perk up with my fingers crossed. read more