When Erica Zito and her partner Mary Button moved to Fishtown five years ago, they didn't know anyone.
The New Jersey natives arrived from Baltimore and began getting to know their neighbors on regular dog walks. Since those days, the pair have dreamed of owning a coffee shop. So when their dream becomes a reality this fall, they couldn't think of any name better than the name of the dog who started it all. With
The Lola Bean, Zito and Button envision a dog-friendly environment and even a little corner of the shop dedicated to Lola herself.
"She's a staffordshire-husky mix...she's a mutt basically," says Zito of the now-famous Lola. "When we
moved here about five years ago, we were not familiar with the
neighborhood. We spent a lot of time out and about with the dog and
meeting other people. It really helped us integrate into the community
and make some, what I consider to be lifelong friends. I look at Lola
like a bridge that helped cross the gap between us and Fishtown at that
time."
Being accepted into the Fishtown fold is not always an easy feat. But
Zito and Button feel they are up to the challenge. After living in the
neighborhood, getting to know the people and mining the blogs and
message boards, they feel they understand what the
Frankford corridor needs. Construction is complete and now the pair put the finishing
touches on a community coffee shop that they hope will provide not only
great coffee but a friendly, neighborhood environment that they found in
the dog parks and plazas of Northeast Philadelphia five years ago.
"I think we bring something different to the neighborhood than the other
coffee shops so it will be interesting to see if we can really pull in
people the way we want to," says Zito. "I feel hopeful because a lot of
businesses have sprung up from the families being here, have been
sustaining themselves and have been welcomed by the neighborhood. I
think there is a large part of Fishtown that is definitely ready for
more."
Source: Erica Zito, Lola Bean
Writer: John Steele