UPDATE: How's the new shop coming along?

We know how patiently you have been waiting for our second location, La Mano Coffee Bar, to open and we realized we haven't given you an update of what's been happening as of late.

Since last winter, we have been offering "pop-up" coffee events while working on the complete renovation and design of the new shop. We'll be in a 460 square foot, street level storefront on a mixed-use corridor of Carroll St NW in the Takoma neighborhood. We share the block with a barbershop, a dry cleaners, two eateries, a community arts space, and other thriving locally-owned businesses.  

We hit a permitting snafu with the electric company Pepco, which needs to initiate service to the property. We have been quoted what we think is an unusually long, expensive, and unreasonably complicated process to complete the job. But since posting news of this on Facebook and Twitter, we received dozens of calls of support urging Ward 4 Councilwoman Muriel Bowser to lobby on our behalf to Pepco to bring us our service upgrade so we can move forward with construction. We are pleased to report that CM Bowser's Office of Constituent Services is assisting us with the process and Pepco is responding in kind.

We are anticipating an open date in June or July, which is entirely contingent on receiving numerous additional inspections and permits from several different agencies, including Pepco. We're so grateful to all the folks that have worked so hard to come this far with us, including Saul Architects, Artisan Builders, the Old Takoma Business Association, and an amazing roster of family and friends that have donated money, talents, time, and most of all, encouragement and support for this process. 

In the meantime, you can sign up for the weekly La Mano mailing list to be notified of our grand opening; or follow us on social media sites for daily updates. By the way, our plan for Modern Times is to remain here providing you with the same high quality coffee, food, and special atmosphere that you and yours have come to know and love. Your patronage here has made it possible for this small, solely-owned business to weather through a tough financial atmosphere, has helped turn our passion into a full-fledged career in the food service industry, and has given us the chance to grow as individuals and with others in the community. Thank you.