Staff Blog
Which way to Good Karma Cafe?
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| Photo | Drew Lazor |
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| Photo | Drew Lazor |
Located beneath an about-to-blossom pear tree on a nice stretch of 22nd between Spruce and Pine, Good Karma Cafe is the brainchild of David Arrell, a longtime Philadelphia restaurant vet. (Check out some of our preliminary coverage here and here.) The space, which was a video rental store for years, officially opened for business yesterday.
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| Photo | Drew Lazor |
Arrell's new baristas learning the ropes at the main counter. All the coffees and teas are fair trade and organic. Right now, they're offering varieties from Ethiopia, Mexico and Bolivia in addition to cold-case beverages and a limited selection of sweets and breakfast fare. As time passes, those options will grow to include locally produced sandwiches and soups as well as boutique items like artisanal cheese plates.
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| Photo | Drew Lazor |
Any of the French-press-brewed coffee available at the bar can also be purchased in whole bean form. Arrell is a member of the Independents Coffee Cooperative, the local purchasing consortium that includes cafes like Red Hook, Chapterhouse, InFusion and Mugshots.
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| Photo | Drew Lazor |
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| Photo | Drew Lazor |
Patrons clacking away on one side of the cafe's WiFi-enabled seating area. (Also, in the top photo, you can see this reporter's notebook, which, by pure coincidence, meshes nicely with the cafe's color scheme. Savvy!) The paintings you see are the work of artist Lauren Holbolm. Arrell says he plans on displaying local artists monthly, with the eventual goal of organizing an alternative First Friday-type event with neighborhood cafes like Beauty Shop and La Va. That warm paint on the walls? It's from YOLO, which specializes in environmentally friendly, no-VOC products. And that's not the only green feature ...
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| Photo | Drew Lazor |
... the cafe's tables are made from kirei wood, derived from the waste products of the sorghum plant. Somewhat comparable to bamboo, it's a rapid-renewal alternative to chopping down trees. The multicolored floor tiles you see are made from recycled limestone powder. Elsewhere ...
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| Photo | Drew Lazor |
... the brown rubber flooring in front of the counter is made from recycled tires. (What up, Hil?)
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| Photo | Drew Lazor |
Though they're still in the planning stages, Arrell is also working on a permit for sidewalk seating and a backyard garden area with plants and flowers.
Good Karma Cafe
331 S. 22nd St.
215-546-1479
thegoodkarmacafe.com
Open daily, 7 a.m.-10 p.m.
David:
Really pleased to see that your dream has finally turned into reality. Best of luck now and in the future. If you put the same amount of passion into this new business venture as you do in every other aspect of your life..how could you experience anything but success.
Let me know a good day to come by to check it out.
Michael–
[...] Arrell, proprietor of the very popular Good Karma Cafe at 22nd and Pine, opened his second coffee house on Saturday. The new Good Karma (928 Pine St.), [...]