Adda Coffee & Tea House already has quirky cafés in Shadyside and the North Side. Their third spot is going to be “bazaar.”
Located at 4905 Penn Ave. in Garfield (the former home of Gluten Free Goat Bakery), the space will sell coffee, tea and pastries as well as unique gifts and art from local crafters. It opens Oct. 23 and will host a weekend filled with area food makers such as Con Alma and Mi Empanada and musical performances from Feralcat, DJ Arie Cole and the Con Alma house band.
Due to Covid regulations, only four masked, socially distanced guests will be allowed to view the Adda Bazaar space at a time and no cash will be accepted.
Chasen Stark, Adda’s e-commerce manager, says the project has been in the works since the beginning of 2020. The COVID-19 shutdown allowed the company to rethink their vision for the new site. It will have the Adda aesthetic — bright colors, light wooden accents, white marble countertops and plant life — with a twist.
“Rather than make it a replica of our other two stores, it’s going to be a vendor hall for different artisans and craftsmen,” Stark says.
He currently maintains Adda’s online marketplace, which, in addition to boasting an array of beverages, treats, drinkware and apparel, features community shops from makers such as Bombabird Ceramics, photography by City Life Adventures and spice mixes from Jalsa By Veda.
Adda Bazaar will be a physical extension of the website. Owner Sukanta Nag, a native of Bangladesh, hopes to build ongoing relationships with artists. “Adda,” after all, is a Bengali word that means to engage in friendly conversation and also refers to the place where that interaction happens.
Makers who are interested in selling their wares through Adda free of charge can email the business, which will provide product photography and other marketing tools.
Adda will also allow a local food purveyor to set up shop in the kitchen, producing goods for the store and to sell in other spots around town. Customers will still be able to get Gluten Free Goat products there as well.
Building a community — from S. Highland to Western to Penn avenues — is what Adda is all about. “We continue to partner with a lot of businesses and nonprofit organizations,” Stark says.
