It’s not a glitch in the matrix!  If you’ve been picking up on small and subtle changes around your favorite coffee shop, you’re privy to the changes that signify the transition from Lola’s Cafe Espresso to The Blackbird Espresso Bar and Bistro.

You may have already noticed the fresh coat of paint, the new light fixtures, the upgraded ingredients and the increasingly elaborate baked goods.  But keep your eyes peeled for a menu revamp, all new furniture and the debut of alcohol and local brewery beer. 

And count The Blackbird in for more art-centered events.  Owner Jayson North reflects often on the Rethink Topeka event they hosted back in December – a cafe packed with artists, art-lovers, families and regulars gathered around the small stage for live music and a poetry reading.  “We want to be that day,” Jayson says with gravity.

His wife and co-owner Lauren North agrees, “We want to become something that Topeka doesn’t have yet – the kind of place I like to visit when we travel.”

This place will be a haven for families, business people, magazine-browsers and laptop users, poets and musicians, caffeine-lovers and those simply looking for a bite to eat.

It all seems to blend harmoniously for the Norths, who work hard and love their work, all while their two small children are within arms’ reach.

“Somewhere between potty-training and changing diapers, we run a business,” Jayson laughs.

[Melissa Sewell | David Kitchner | March 2010]