Ridgewood Coffee Closes For Monk Blessing [Video]

The was closed for about two hours on Tuesday to receive an influx of good Eastern vibes.

Three Buddhist monks from a temple in Yonkers journeyed across the George Washington Bridge to bless the craft coffeehouse on E. Ridgewood Ave.

"Basically, we invited them over to give the store some good karma, and give the employees and anyone who walks in the store good karma," said Jan Apanich, co-owner of The RCC.

Following a sipping of smooth lattes, the monks – in a call-and-repeat with staff – chanted well-wishing Buddhist mantras in the ancient Sanskrit language. After sharing a hearty, traditional Thai meal, the shop had been deemed blessed by the men cloaked in orange robes.

Though the New Jersey customers may have been a bit perplexed by the brief mid-day closing, Apanich said it's not unique in Thai culture.

"It's a fairly common thing in Thai culture to bless the business with Buddhist monks, especially when it's a new business that opens up," Apanich said. His mother-in-law, Suchitra, had always wanted to have a formal blessing but they just hadn't gotten around to it until Tuesday, he said.

Apanich and his wife Sara Paleewong and renovated the store last summer.

"Even though we're not in Thailand and we're away from our homeland, we still have the same sense of community where the temple is the center of it," Apanich said.