Saturday, February 6, 2010

Big chair coffee on washington post


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Anacostia gives coffee shop warm reception

Lidya Tewelde makes a latte during the lunch rush at Big Chair Coffee & Grill in Anacostia. Residents said they are happy to have a coffee shop in the neighborhood.
Lidya Tewelde makes a latte during the lunch rush at Big Chair Coffee & Grill in Anacostia. Residents said they are happy to have a coffee shop in the neighborhood. (Mark Gail/washington Post)
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Korinna Garbis, 29, of Arlington County ordered lunch at the counter on her second visit. Working for a construction company in the area, she said she was excited to have another lunch option close to her job.

"There's not really a lot of options here, so a lot of times I go to Barracks Row," she said. "It just is a good, dynamic scene in general, and there's no other place around here to get cocoa. It's nice to be able to get out of the office and regroup for a moment."

Residents are just as enthusiastic, said Cheryl Jenifer, 59, an educational consultant who lives around the corner.

"The atmosphere is very cozy and warm. And anything that's quaint adds to Anacostia, which is a historic community. I was a principal in this area for over 20 years, so I've worked and lived right here. So something like this makes you feel like you don't have to venture so far," she said.

A liquor license is pending. Yimenu said that it's strictly to offer wine and beer as more of a restaurant setting and not along the lines of a nightclub.

The coffee shop used to close at 7 p.m., but the hours were extended to 9 p.m. The buzz for the business even prompted an earlier than scheduled opening.

"I wanted to do a grand opening on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, but we were in here on Jan. 11 testing the machine and cleaning up everything and all of a sudden customers and reporters started coming in," she said. "My hair wasn't even done, but I wasn't going to turn any business away."

The coffee shop is at 2122 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE. For information, call 202-525-4287 or visit http://bigchaircoffee.blogspot.com.