Contributed by:
Paul Asay
on 2/13/2007
Coffee shops share street, not customers
Spritual gathering places cater to different movements
Something spiritual is brewing on West Colorado Avenue.
In just a few months, two spiritually-geared coffeehouses have opened within a block of each other - so close they can smell each other's espresso.
That's OK, say the owners of The
JavaBuddha Coffeehouse and Agia Sophia.
"Our customers don't really go there, and their customers really don't come here," said Will Waldron, an owner of The
JavaBuddha.
Forget the lotus blossoms: Some believe caffeine might act as a spiritual stimulant. Starbucks and Pikes Perk stores have been Bible-study havens for years, and this year, Colorado College students started a coffee shop in the basement of Shove Memorial Chapel called Sacred Grounds.
"You can't drink a cup of coffee without starting to think," said Ac, a local pagan who frequents The
JavaBuddha.
The
JavaBuddha, set in a small Victorian house at 2820 W. Colorado Ave., has become a hot hangout for free-spirited spiritualists. A Buddhist group meets there regularly, as do three pagan covens. Some Sikhs (part of a religion largely concentrated in northern India) make a road trip to the coffee house every now and then - from Boulder, no less.
The
JavaBuddha, which opened April 1, is more about conversation than religion, Waldron says: He and his business partner, Tracey Anderson, are not trying to convert anybody, and coffee-shop evangelism by any religious group is prohibited. But the Buddhist fountain that dominates the main room and the business' tagline ("Enlightenment - one cup at a time") conveys to customers that this is a place where spiritual conversation flows as much as the coffee.
Waldron scoped out Boulder for a coffee-shop site when they moved to the state, but he thought it was a little too selfconsciously hip. He enjoyed Colorado Springs' vibe more.
Agia Sophia, which means "Holy Wisdom" in Greek, opened last month at 2902 W. Colorado Ave. While The
JavaBuddha exudes homey informality, Agia Sophia has a loftier feel: It's in a towering stone building at the edge of Old Colorado City, and its wine-colored rooms are lined with books. And it doubles as a spiritual bookstore.
It's also a nonprofit enterprise, according to owner Matt Kennedy. Proceeds will go to a variety of charities, including the Dale House Project.
Agia Sophia is underwritten by Saints Constantine and Helen Church, an Orthodox church on the west side of town. Kennedy and most of the staff are members, and Father Anthony Karbo, the church's priest, will hold office hours there from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Thursdays - and at other times, as his schedule permits.
"Orthodoxy has become, in some parts of the world, more of a cultural experience than a faith experience," Kennedy said. But in his estimation, the tradition-rich faith is a tonic for a harried world. "We see it as a treasure waiting to be discovered."
The books in Agia Sophia range include mainstream, even secular works from writers such as Charles Dickens, Fyodor Dostoevsky and C.S. Lewis. But deeper works are found deeper in the store.
Staff members hope the store will expose "the churched, under-churched, and non-churched to the unique insights, depths, and riches of Christianity of the East, i.e. Orthodox Christianity, which has been little known in the West," wrote Karbo in an e-mail. "And serve some darn good coffee."
CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0367
DETAILS
The
JavaBuddha Coffeehouse
2820 W. Colorado Ave. Open 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays.
www.thejavabuddha.com
Agia Sophia
2902 W. Colorado Ave. Open 7 a.m.-11 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays, 1-9 p.m. Sundays.
www.agiasophiacoffeeshop.com