Tired of dealing with a new barista every day at Starbucks? Well, meet Rick Johnson, owner and operator of the newest addition to Charlottesville’s already long roster of java shops: Fox Park Coffee Bar, located on The Corner.

After finding that he enjoyed barista-ing more than bartending (stimulants > depressants?) at a previous job, Rick decided to open up his own place, modeled after the cafes he visited in Rome. The grand opening is either today or tomorrow, depending on when the paperwork gets done and assuming no coffee gets spilled on it.

If your finely-tuned neuroses/foodie-ism require you to try a different type of tea every day of the month, Fox Park has you set through at least mid-November; with 30 different teas and over 30 different syrups to go with your Italian roast espresso, you might even be able to make it into December. And if your New Years resolution calls for some serious good karma, you can even start experimenting with Rick’s different roasts of Fair trade Haitian coffee.

The cafe has indoor and outdoor seating (enjoy it while you can!), baked goods from the Baker’s Palette, and free WiFi–perfect for frequent checking of cVillain.

Despite working long hours alone (7am-7pm Monday-Saturday, 7am-2pm Sunday), Rick has enough caffeine and amiability to get through the day; let’s hope it’s enough to get through those difficult first few weeks of business, too.

Fox Park Coffee Bar
1325 West Main, Shop 3
(Located behind Cavalier Tan, near El Patio of Baja Bean Co.)

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