Cup of JoJo

There’s an old closed up gas station across the street from my bus stop. Everyday, especially sunny days, while waiting for my bus, I look at that building and say, "You need to be a coffee shop."

My neighborhood desperately needs a coffee shop where one can visit every morning for a great cup of joe and pastry/bagel and read the NY Times. Where two people can visit on a Saturday morning and chat for 3 hours to catch up on life; all while sipping on a delightful cup of coffee. None of this donut shop stuff where there are only 3 tables at which to sit, white fluorescent lights overhead to ruin any sort of conversational ambiance, and bright pink and orange decor that takes any cozy feeling out of any visit.

My neighborhood needs a shop that is a warm place with wooden tables and chairs, a couple of cozy couches and some great cushy chairs; furniture that invites you to sit and stay awhile. People say that my coffee shop wouldn’t get very much business because it’s in the wrong neighborhood, that these neighbors are diner folks. That’s because these people are only given diners. If they were given the coffee shop experience that I desire to give them (perfect example being Cup O Joe in Columbus, Ohio) then they would come to see what they’ve truly been missing all these years. I would change this gas station into a neighborhood shop that everyone talks about. And on a day that I’m not working behind the counter, I, too could enjoy the cozy chairs, delightful atmosphere and a cup of amazing brew.

It’s a dream that I’d actually like to make come true.