Staff

Servetas gets his regular coffee injection

Having opened a Bridgeport location a little over six months ago, Las Vetas owner Andrew Servetas is continuing to break all the recession rules by relocating the Fairfield outpost of his coffee shop. It's going around the corner, moving from 1462 Post Road to 27 Unquowa Road, almost directly next to the Fairfield Community Theater. He is awaiting the decision of the Zoning Board of Appeals on whether he can have 16 parking waivers on the busy street.

The store will be double the size (800 square feet) and will have all the same artistic charm, like the Beatles accoutrements and hanging monkey chandeliers. Also in the works are a stage for live music, more seating space and a bookcase Servetas has built to commemorate the previous inhabitants, the Fairfield Open Book Shop (1951 to 2001).

Servetas lets out a huge sigh of relief that most of the moving is over, and also because he's finally free of the limited space provided by the Post Road shop. "Keeping it open was a monster," he says. With one refrigerator, he'd have to run out daily to retrieve milk and other items. "I don't have to run, run, run," he says. "It was absolutely insane." The new space will allow for more than one fridge. And now with less effort needed to keep the Fairfield space running, the Bridgeport one will have increased hours.

Servetas says the moving process was a dream come true. Weeks prior, some customers offered to help move, but he thought nothing of it. The day of, he was shocked to find those very customers parked out front with trucks. "I didn't give them any pansy jobs," he says, "I was like, 'Okay, take this freezer.'" And they did. The highlights of the day included wheeling their heavy-duty toilet and antique grand piano down Post Road.

"[I]t's a community place," Servetas says. "It's their shop. They have their favorite mugs, we know everybody. I'm feeling good. I think more people are going to be patronizing the new place." He is tentatively planning opening on Nov. 21 and a grand opening party is planned for Nov. 28.