It’s been a little over nine years since I’ve been here. And back then, this place was a dry cleaners. For the past nine years or so it’s been a hot little coffee shop called “C’Ville Coffee.” It ranks as the TOP coffee shop I’ve ever been in. The owner, Toan Nguyen, not only greets you when you walk in, he has a conversation with you, finds out what brought you here. Very friendly guy!

When I explained my “year long adventure,” and told him I was writing and posting about places I’ve been, he took me to the back of the shop and showed me a VERY large turtle he had commissioned for the store so people’s kids had someplace to play. Then he offered to take my photo of me on top.

Note the rules, especially the last one:

In the front of the store, hanging above the tables, are coffee mugs from places he and his family go. There’s jazz playing in the background, wood floors, very much a community feeling - with a couch and chairs, book shelves and books….the usual array of community fliers and things for sale on the walls. They don’t take debit or credit cards, but do take cash and checks. And if you want free wi-fi and great coffee and sandwiches, this beats Starbucks to death. Seth Godin hammers the point relentlessly - to be great, you’ve got to be remarkable. And remarkable means more than just great customer service - although that’s part of it. It means taking your customer’s needs into consideration - and C’Ville Coffee does that with an “Adult Zone” where no kids are allowed. After all, they’ve got their turtle! There are electrical outlets near almost every table in the place, making this truly Wi-Fi friendly. It’s a Sunday morning, and traffic has been steady, but not crowded. My guess is during the week this place is packed. I’ll be back. Nice atmosphere, clean, friendly, STRONG Wi-Fi connection. It just feels good.

I don’t usually do coffee shop and food reviews, but this place has inspired me!