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Bella Cafe celebrates new digs

Bella Cafe celebrates its new location

Date published: 7/24/2007

BY BEN SELLERS

Teens, families and area intellectuals who have long called Bella Cafe their home-away-from-home now have another reason.

The bagel shop and coffeehouse--which earned a reputation for its open mic nights and spirited chess tournaments--will celebrate its grand reopening this weekend in a new location, a refurbished house.

After nearly losing the beloved hangout, owner Will Wobbe, like many of his customers, is glad to be back in business.

In December, Bella Bagel Cafe was ousted from its Aquia Towne Center location. As Wobbe collected unemployment, patrons puzzled over what to do next.

"In 10 days we lost everything, and then, I guess, the community missed it so bad they rallied," said Wobbe.

Customers joined with Regester Chapel United Methodist Church to stage a benefit concert. The donated $3,000 was the spark Wobbe needed to resurrect the cafe, he said. "They kind of rose it back up."

Wobbe said the new digs have a more personal touch than the old location.

"It's very warm, and a lot of people who have come down here said it still carries that same spirit--same feeling--that we had at the other place."

Wobbe dropped the "Bagel" from the name in order to reflect the varied menu offerings, including burgers and gyros.

The new location also offers more visibility, he added.

At the old location, "generally they were coming over for Subway because they saw the Subway signs on the road. Here they see us, and it's been rewarding."

With an outdoor seating area that's more spacious than before, the cafe's open mic nights have been going strong since its "soft opening" about five weeks ago.

In addition to the live music Bella offers on Fri- day and Saturday nights, Tuesdays and Thursdays are chess nights, and Wob- be wants to encourage families to come on Wednesdays.

The biggest draw for many of Bella's customers, though, may still be the sense of community it offers every night of the week.

"There's just a lot of different ideas in here--that's kind of neat," said Wobbe.

"It's got a look like people all pitched in, like it belongs to everybody."

Ben Sellers: 540/374-5423
Email: bsellers@freelancestar.com

What: Bella Cafe stages its grand opening celebration, with open mic tunes, giveaways and more. Where: 3869 Jeff Davis Highway, Suite 103, on Boswell's Corner (across the street from the Texaco) When: Friday, 7 to 10 p.m.; Saturday, 2 to 11 p.m.; Sunday, 2 to 9 p.m. Why: Check out the cafe's new location and revel in its sense of community. Cost: No cost for admission. Info: 703/445-8855

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Date published: 7/24/2007