New Leaf Café will serve up its first lattes this weekend at 3235 West Liberty Ave. Terrie Gample, who owns the café with her mother Bobbie Troy, feels the café’s location along a central business in
Dormont, will draw patrons from several surrounding communities.
Gample and Troy’s first business, New Leaf reflects the café’s offerings and points to new directions for Dormont. “New Leaf is a combination of a couple of things,” says Gample, who is active in Dormont revitalization and beautification efforts. “Dormont is such a prime place. It’s so easy to get to, you can get anywhere from Dormont, and it’s a small community, which is nice. We would really like to see Dormont pick up.”
After leasing the 870 square-foot space in January, the pair began planning the café in April. “The location is ideal for what we want. There’s a lot of foot traffic with the “T” and buses. Even if we had no parking, I think we’d have a really good shot at being successful,” says Gample, who cites New Leaf’s proximity to restaurants, a computer store and the South Hills Beauty Academy as a plus.
National Casework and Design built the café’s new counter, cabinets and lighting, cleaned the original tin ceiling and painted the walls in yellow, orange and green earth tones. Dan Murdy fabricated the café’s copper-colored sign.
With beans from Presto George, New Leaf will serve specialty coffees and teas, panini and salads and a children’s menu. The café will also carry pastries from Dormont’s Potomac Bakery.
Writer:
Jennifer BaronSource: Terrie Gample, New Leaf Café
Photograph copyright © Jennifer Baron