When Mindy Alezra and her family fell in love with a vacant building on the corner of S. Ann and Gough Streets in upper Fells Point, the juxtaposition of the two names brought to their minds the tormented, ear-bereft Dutch painter. It was only after they'd settled on the name Van Gough Caf� for a first-floor coffee shop that they discovered locals pronounce Gough "guff" and not "go." Oh well. They dig the name and they're sticking with it.
Alezra, who purchased the imposing three-story brick building at 300 S. Ann St. with her husband Max and daughter and son-in-law Loni and Nick Diamond, says she's wanted her entire life to open a cafe.
"This building was calling to me saying, ok this is it, this is your opportunity," she says. "I want to know people, so I always wanted a little coffee shop where regular customers would come in, like in the bar Cheers. A place where they would know who we were and we would know who they were."
Alezra and her team capitalized on the exposed brick, hardwood floors and massive, hardwood bar to establish a relaxed atmosphere for the 900-square-foot caf�, which opens next month. There will be the requisite wi-fi, couches, tables and bar stools, and also plenty of artwork by local artists on display in keeping with the caf�'s name. The cafe will offer standard coffee shop fare, including specialty coffees, smoothies, paninis, sandwiches, salads, and bagels from
Goldberg's New York Bagels on Reisterstown Road.
But the quartet's contribution to Fells Point development doesn't stop there. They have also renovated the top two floors into an 1,800 square-foot single-family home boasting six bedrooms, six bathrooms, a whopping 24 windows, and a brand new electrical wiring throughout. The home will be available to rent in a few weeks, Alezra says.
Fells Point has not only proven the ideal neighborhood for a coffee shop, says Alezra, but exceedingly helpful to business owners. Support from the community facilitated the permits process, she says, and a grant from
Fells Point Main Street has enabled the new owners to redo the building's 1920 fa�ade.
"We love Fells Point," says Alezra, who with her husband came to Baltimore six years ago from Milwaukee. "It's quaint, it has so much character. It's just a unique and amazing place."
Writer: Lucy Ament
Source: Mindy Alezra, Van Gough Caf�