A coffee shop will open next door to where the former Berwyn Cafe used to reside.
Ferhat Yalcin will tell you about the origin and journey of every coffee bean in the coffee shop he plans to open later this year. But the name of the store itself?
“It’s a secret.”
Yalcin isn’t ready to divulge all of the details just yet. As he clears out the space for his new shop at 5008 Berwyn Road — in the same complex where the former Berwyn Cafe resided — he hopes to build up suspense before the debut of his store, opening either late this year or early 2013, depending on how fast Yalcin can acquire city permits, he said. It will occupy a spot next to his existing business venture, seafood restaurant Fishnet, which has been open for nearly a year.
The shop will aim to make coffee drinking more of an experience, presenting customers with an exotic assortment of beans from Yemen, Turkey and various African countries. Yalcin will sell “Ceremony” coffee, a brand comprised of beans from independent growers worldwide, he said.
A coffee bar with four or five urns will let a slew of caffeine fiends self-serve from a variety of options. The menu will be small and simple, Yalcin said, emphasizing high quality coffee instead of the sugary, frozen drinks at commercial stores. Customers will also be able to pick from cold sandwiches and pastry offerings.
“It’s not going to be Starbucks,” he said. “I’m not going to have all that ‘Frappucino,’ that kind of thing.”
Yalcin’s attention to detail stems from a trend he has noticed in coffee drinkers in recent years: an increased desire to know where the beans were grown, and to extend their options beyond corporate coffee chains.
“I don’t want to hide anything,” he said. “I want to say, ‘This coffee is coming from this part of Africa and it’s roasted in this state, and was ground at this time.’ ”
A “homey” feeling will characterize the Wi-Fi-equipped store, which will open at 7 or 8 a.m. and close around midnight, Yalcin said. Coffee prices will range from $2 to $4 per cup.
“I want people to relax and not rush,” he said.
The store will be nestled away from the congested downtown scene, which Economic Coordinator Michael Stiefvater said could make it a refuge for students seeking a calmer atmosphere.
“It’d definitely be a good place to study and maybe get away from the hustle and bustle of college,” he said. “It’s a little quieter over there.”
However, several students, like junior sociology major Ranya Bautista, said they wouldn’t make the trek to Berwyn Road, an eight-minute car ride away from the campus.
“It’s kind of out of my way,” Bautista said. “I’m content with Starbucks being here.”
But other students, including freshman elementary education major Annie Langdon, said they would welcome the convenience of an additional coffee shop.
“There can never be too many coffee shops,” she said.
