Background: The Lemon Grove Cafe opened just months ago in August of 2009. Jacob Lee Harver, its founder, received the vision for his company when looking into his family's backyard pear orchard. Thinking it would be nice to have a lemon grove instead, he planted several trees and they flourished. Like his lemon grove, Jacob intends to transform downtown Youngstown into something new and provocative with his "cafe/coffee shop/bar/art gallery/performance space/community gathering spot." The cozy cafe is located at 122 W. Federal St., just down the street from the heart of the Youngstown State University Campus. The hours, catering explicitly to students, are 7 days a week 11am-4am. There is some kind of performance event that goes on virtually every night featuring local artists, performers, and thinkers.
Store Ambiance: The layout of the cafe is one of the most interesting I've seen. It is long and narrow with a small stage just to your right as you walk in at the storefront. Along the wall on the left is a collage of flyers for coming performances and other local events. Further into the 'corridor' on the left hand wall is a stream of artwork--most of which consists of Matisse-like impressionist style centered around themes of jazz to themes of deindustrialization. The cafe seating arrangement consists of a few tables in the front, some booths as you venture further back, and finally some comfy chairs and sofas in the far back. The bar is along the right hand wall just in front of the stage and a barista/bar tender stands wearing casual clothes ready to take your order. Hand-written menu boards are arched along the wall and a case of pastries lies just in front of the counter. The store is always buzzing the quiet murmuring of various conversations and at least three quarters of those sitting in the cafe are working on laptops. In the afternoons, Lemon Grove seems to function as a convenient workspace and in the evenings as a downtown party spot.
The Menu and my selection: In addition to being a coffee shop, Lemon Grove functions as a restaurant and bar. Therefore, there are salads, paninis, pasta dishes, and various beers. As the coffee menu goes, it is nothing less than conventional, offering signature beverages such as mochas, cappuccinos, lattes, macchiatos, and espressos. The on-hand brewed coffees are roasted by Phoenix Coffee in Cleveland, OH and are all Fair Trade Certified. On my visit, they were Guatemala, Ethiopia Yirgacheffe, and Timor. I had a cup of Timor. It was smooth with a round body only slightly heavy on the tongue, little acidity, and slight hints of dark berry and spice.
I recommend anyone who is in Youngstown, OH to stop by the Lemon Grove in order to get a taste of local culture. Though it has been there only months, it belongs to the community in such a way that it appears to have simply emerged from the landscape. Check out a blog posted by Tyler Clark, a local media professional, for more info.
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