For more than 10 years Antique
Cafe has been a home-away-
from-home for locals and visitors.
It was New York's weekend flea market in Chelsea that gave birth to the Antique Cafe - or at least to the idea of it.
Jon Wolohojian and Marcial Cavero were regulars at the market, both as buyers and sellers.They quickly saw that something was missing from the neighborhood, where the many weekday parking lots became packed with vendors and shoppers, even before dawn, every Saturday and Sunday.
At 25th & 6th in 1998 ...
... and in 2008 at 230 Fifth Avenue.
What was needed was a comfortable, friendly place to have coffee, breakfast or lunch, where the early-risers and after-brunch browsers alike would find good, homestyle food and an atmosphere designed for meeting friends - and making them. After only a few months planning, the Antique Cafe was born in the fall of 1998.
The tiny cafe brought its friends close together - elbow-to-elbow at times. Bargaining for a chair and sharing a table were standard procedure, but there was always, it seemed, room enough for one more. The weekend crowds were replaced Monday through Friday with those who worked or lived close by, who welcomed their new neighbor and quickly made the cafe a minor Chelsea landmark.
Belying its name, the Antique Cafe has kept up with the breakneck pace of change in Chelsea over the past decade - now with two complete restaurants, as well as satellite cafes nearby.
Summer 2003,
Antique Cafe
moves
one block
north and into
a new era.
Left: The terrace
at 26th and 6th.
The first cafe was almost too successful for itself. With a steady stream of customers and a busy catering business as well, the limitations of the basement kitchen and thronged counter were tested every day. And the neighborhood was growing busier, too.
The parking lots that had hosted the flea markets were being filled with high-rise apartment buildings. One of these suggested the perfect location for a stepped-up Antique Cafe - a real restaurant, with an international cuisine. The site offered a broad, sunny patio set away from the street, and a bright, soaring interior. The much-loved counter service would blend with comfortable banquettes and spacious tables, where waiters took over service during evenings and weekend brunch.
Naturally, many of the old crowd missed the intimacy of the original cafe. But they were soon won over by the pleasure of relaxing over lunch on the terrace, or sharing a bottle of wine to the familiar soundtrack of Piaf, Sinatra and Domingo. And for Jon, Marcial and their staff, the new digs meant a growing presence in the area. The Antique Cafe on 26th Street became a center of activity for the new residents arriving in this old neighborhood. No sooner was the new AC gaining the patina of familiarity, than a dream to expand took shape.
Above: The airy space
on 26th Street.
Double identity ...
Just a few blocks away from the busy 26th St location, but far removed from the brand new high-rise feel, was a tempting space near 8th Avenue on 27th Street. It was irresistible, and soon AC became a dynasty in the making! In a building that's a genuine antique itself, this 2004 addition is reminiscent of the first Antique Cafe, recalling the 19th-century feel of its historic neighborhood.
Only steps from the Fashion Institute of Technology, AC on 27th evokes the youthful feel of a college coffee house. Shelves of books and games, casual food, a fire in the hearth in winter, and mismatched furnishings combine to create a home-away-from home atmosphere equally popular with students and longtime neighborhood residents.
Above: Inviting 27th Street.
And two to grow on:
satellite cafes
express our style.
Ten years - and a few days - after Antique Cafe came on the Chelsea scene, a brand new addition to the family arrived.
Sited off the lobby of 230 5th Avenue, and serving the building's tenants and their clients, the newest location is kitchenless, supplied daily by the 26th Street restaurant.
At the unofficial border of Chelsea and the Flatiron/Madison Square neighborhood, Antique Cafe on 5th provides its signature cozy style, and brings along the famous pastries and snacks, as well as a changing menu of lunches, soups and more.
Right: The warm ambience at 230 Fith Avenue.
And there is more: a "pocket" cafe, at 44 West 28th Street, sits at teh central axis of one floor of two occupied by TechSpace and its member companies.
Also supplied by the two main restaurant kitchens, Antique Cafe on 8 (for 8th floor) has become an instant hit with TechSpace members - and all the 17-story building's tenants.
Left: A world in a nut shell at 44 West 28th Street.
Saying goodbye to a great friend and partner ...
In December of 2005, Jon Wolohojian passed away after a sudden illness. With a personality as big as his generous heart, Jon had always been the smiling "face" of the Antique Cafe, and his loss was deeply felt.
A natural entrepreneur and host, Jon had once owned a nightclub in Switzerland, and later manufactured textiles in India. No surprise then that at every break in the action behind the cafe's counter he could be seen arranging introductions between customers, or heard greeting friends in French or German - and occasionally in Hindi.
Right: Jon & Marcial at the original Antique Cafe in 1999.
Jon's inspiration for both menus and decor was a mix of international flavor and American coziness. His recipe for hospitality was simply making his guests feel like welcome friends - which an atonishing number quickly became.
Marcial and Jon's original inspiration remains the guiding spirit behind Antique Cafe today: to provide good food and drink in a friendly, welcoming place.That was, is, and always will be the whole reason for being there.
Jon Wolohojian
Visit our Bed & Breakfast apartments at antiquecafebb.com
Contents c. 2007 Antique Cafe New York and/or Visogno Web Design
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