A new coffeehouse has opened its doors in Brookland.
Serendipity Jazz Coffeehouse soft-opened Thursday after an extensive renovation from its previous incarnation, a bar/lounge called Optimism.
Jesse Brown, who co-owns the coffeehouse with his son Simeon (and owned Optimism since 2009), says the change has been a long time coming — and a return to Brown’s roots as a jazz/coffeeshop owner. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, he owned a coffee shop called Brookland’s Cup of Dreams a few blocks north.
Serendipity, at 3301 12th St NE, has been completely redecorated, swapping out mirrors and sleek white furniture for bamboo paneling and comfy armchairs. Brown did most of the work himself, painting and refinishing and redecorating since last November.
“I didn’t intend to do all that,” Brown says, “But once I got started, it was like, ‘I gotta change this….’”
The name comes from the serendipitous way the design of the shop came together. “Every time I went out looking for materials, I couldn’t find what I was looking for. I saw something else—‘let’s try that instead.’” Even the green chairs were a stroke of luck — “I saw those sitting in a warehouse, and they were
ugly….then I was sitting here one day and said ‘Man, I gotta get some chairs.’ And I got a flash. Those ugly green chairs would be perfect.” And they were, and outside of the context of the warehouse, they weren’t so ugly.
The shop serves a variety of coffees, teas, and other drinks, as well as a selection of pastries. A more extensive menu, reported
local blog Brookland Bridge, is coming soon.
Cup of Dreams hosted poetry readings and jazz, and Brown says he hopes to hold similar events at Serendipity.
Serendipity is but the latest in transformations happening in Brookland. Earlier this year saw the opening of Halsa,
a healthy fast-casual concept that takes its name from the Swedish word for "health," and a combination bike shop/coffee house
is opening in April.