A new coffeehouse with an other-worldly aura is enlivening a corner of Lawrenceville. Located at 4130 Butler St.,
Your Inner Vagabond Coffeehouse & World Lounge (YIV) is headed up by wife and husband team, AJ Schaffer and Andrew Watson.
The pair concocted the idea during a cross-Europe cycling trek that landed them in Morocco, where they “scoured the souks” for everything from Berber inkwells to leather cushions. After moving to Pittsburgh and being inspired by local groups like
Zafira Dance Co., the couple chose Lawrenceville, ending their “four-year search for a place to open a permanent coffeehouse.” Aiming to “connect people to their own sense of wandering and exploration,” YIV fuses an Eastern sensibility with diverse fare and electic concerts.
Housed within a 96-year-old building, the 3,500-square-foot space features a performance stage and 11-foot ceilings. Patrons are lulled by inviting low couches, rich fabrics and hundreds of cozy pillows.
“We fell in love with our space because of its size and location
smack-dab in the middle of Lawrenceville. There are a slew of eclectic
home and clothing shops, art galleries, music venues and restaurants,”
says Schaffer, who is excited that
Dozen Cupcakes and Tamari restaurant
will soon open their doors nearby. “There was a great
write-up on
Butler Street in
The New York Times about the neighborhood being one of
the last bastions of non-corporate, independently-owned businesses in
America.”
Part contemporary coffeehouse part posh lounge, YIV carries coffees and
teas from around the globe, offers free WiFi, and hosts film
screenings. Schaffer sums up the result of extensive renovations, “We’ve turned our place into a Turkish harem.”
Writer:
Jennifer BaronSource: Andrew Watson, Your Inner Vagabond Coffeehouse & World Lounge
Photograph copyright Brian Cohen