“A cup of coffee commits one to forty years of friendship…” – Turkish proverb
Fennario Coffee & Tobacco has long been a haunt of West Chester locals “ it’s the coffee shop equivalent of Cheers. You can walk in at any time and immediately settle yourself into an intense game of Scrabble, complete with a cup of piping hot coffee and a cigarette dangling from your lips. (This is one place that won’t go smoke free any time soon, rest assured.) And up until last week, the smoky and slightly dingy (but well-loved) interior was good enough for customers and employees alike.
With West Chester expanding and upping the class factor, Fennario has decided to step up and give themselves a well-deserved upgrade. Owner Brendan Greene cut store hours over the past weekend and pulled all-nighters in order to repaint and reorganize. I stopped by to check out the progress in the middle of the night on Saturday, January 6th, and found that spirits were high while paint was flying just as quickly as the jokes were. Another check on Sunday morning saw how quickly the laborers (friends/customers/employees of Fennario) had progressed, and by Monday, the store opened up as usual, ready to welcome customers into the new and improved version of their favorite hang out.
The walls are now painted a mixture of very coffee-appropriate creams, tans, and browns, and are adorned with rotating local artist’s work (currently featuring local favorite James Lee Burke, also showing work in Spence Cafe). Future plans include a stand-up espresso bar, additional shelving and storage, and tables with game boards built-in.
While closed, other coffee shops found they were receiving new clientele, but only for the weekend “ customers promptly returned to their beloved cafe. Many walked into the new Fennario and marveled at the changes, and a few looked slightly bewildered. But while the look has changed, the atmosphere hasn’t – the vibe is still the same, just a little bit shinier!
Fennario Coffee & Tobacco
111 N. Church Street
West Chester, PA
Phone: (610)436-8105
Hours: M-F 7:00 am “ 11:00 pm
Sat 7:30 am – 11:00 pm
Sun 7:30 am – 9:00 pm
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