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a k b n a v e r
Yumi Chikamori / KANSAN
Patrons enjoy a quiet afternoon reading the newspaper and slipping coffee at The Bourgeois Pig. The cafe recently opened at 6 East Ninth Street and serves both coffee and alcoholic beverages.
Same old grind?
Lawrence residents are waking up to the new kinds of coffeehouses that are browning around town.
By Matt Hydeman
Kansan staff writer
some new coffeehouses in Lawrence have arrived to battle Massachusetts Street fixture La Prima Tazza. A battle over coffee, of course. And the winner in these battles is yet to be known.
Tin O Reele, owner of Espress O'House, 10 E.9th St. said that he didn't believe the coffee craze had hit Lawrence as much as it had in San Francisco and Seattle.
"I think that if the coffee craze had hit here, we could be supporting 12 coffee houses in town," he said. "We haven't yet."
O 'Keefe, who hails from Mississippi, said that although coffee was a big part of his business, he also offered a lot of traditional southern cooking, like "po' boys" sandwiches, gumbo and various muffins, bagels and daily specials.
"Many of the drinks we serve in the summer we serve iced, because of the heat," he said.
O'Keele said he thought the number of coffeehouses in town were still too few to handle the number of people in the city and KU who might want to have a cup of coffee at times.
"You might get a day when it's cold and everyone wants to have something warm," he said. "There's no way that all these coffeehouses in town could handle the campus—or the city—if they wanted a cup of coffee."
The store, open for its eighth month of business, took over the space where Pywacket's and the Lamplighter bookstore were. It is smaller than former Pywacket's patrons might remember.
O'Keefe said he didn't try to compete with the other coffee shops in the area. Next door is rival coffee shop. The Bourgeois Pig. 6 E. 9th St.
"I'm trying to give the best service that I can give." O'Keefe said.
The quest for "best service" seems to be a hallmark for Espress O House's neighbor, The Bourgeois Pig.
The coffeehouse has been in business for a month, and Sammons said business had been booming.
Described as an "English wine and coffee bar," the coffeehouse has already become a popular downtown hangout, said Jim Sammons, a Bourgeois Pig employee.
"We're doing a good business here in the summertime," he said. "It will probably be incredible when a lot of the college students return."
Sammons said that, unlike the other coffeehouses in town, The Bourgeois Pig offered a fully
Dave Campbell / KANSAN
stocked bar in addition to the wide range of coffee drinks that could be made. Also, the coffeehouse is the only one in the city that allows smoking indoors.
"We get people who come in before dinner at Teller's, for example, to have a wine or something," said Sammons. "Or we get people who are coming from The Bottleneck after a concert and want to just sit around and talk."
There is no set type of person that comes to the coffeehouse. Sammons said.
"We get people in here who are 18 and over 40
— and every age in between," he said. "There's no set age range that we deal with."
Sammons said that the coffeehouse also sold various pastries and cheesecakes, made at Napoleon Bakery in Kansas City.
Sammons said that the coffeehouse hoped to get involved with the city and community in a variety of ways.
"We're having some art presentations," he said, showing off a collection of art by renowned Lawrence resident, author and artist William S. Burroughs. "We're also planning on maybe having some poetry slams and things like that."
Sammons agreed with Espress O'House's O'Keefe that Lawrence hasn't been hit by coffee mania.
"People haven't become aware of it quite yet," he said.
Another coffeehouse in the downtown area might help create competition, but any more might be too many. Sammons said.
The latest entry into the coffee wars is The Java Break, 17 E. 7th St. It's been open since last week.
Derek Hogan, co-owner, said the location of the coffeehouse should not prove to be a problem for people.
"if you have a good concept and serve good products, I think people will go the extra block to find us," he said.
Another reason for students to go the extra block off of Massachusetts Street is the selection of newspapers and magazines that Hogan said that the coffeehouse will be selling and providing to coffee drinkers and those who study there.
"We'll have the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Village Voice, magazines like the Ume Reader, the Advocate and more," said Hoan.
The store plans to be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the school year. If that doesn't work, Hogan said, then the coffeehouse will go to another schedule.
Currently, the coffeehouse is open 24 hours only on the weekends.
La Prima Tazza could not be reached for comment at press time.
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PAGE 7
JULY 27,1994
People and places at the University of Kansas.
calendar
Nightlife
The Bottleneck 737 New Hampshire St. Chris Duarte, tonight Leroy Shakespeare, toomor
Chainsaw Kittens, The Figgs and Gruther, Friday, 18 and over show. Common Ground, Saturday Call 841-5483 for times and prices.
Branding Iron Saloon
800 W. 24th St.
Outfit, 9 p.m., Friday, Saturday
Call 843-2000 for prices.
The Jazzhaus
926 1/2 Massachusetts St.
Acoustic Juice, tomorrow
Call 749-3320 for times and prices.
Mulligan's
1016 Massachusetts St.
Acoustic Open Mike, tonight
Curt Stockhammer and Dan Bliss, tomorrow
Skin, Friday
Marco Hound, Saturday
Call 865-4055 for more information.
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