A Blend of Coffee, Chords and Community at the Spoon

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee is hard to miss walking up to Spoon Coffeehouse on South Wellwood Avenue – with their welcoming door open, the sweet smell drifts along the sidewalk until you find yourself inside.

The cafe itself is surprisingly big, somehow hiding a bunch of its seating from the first look on the outside. The color scheme throughout feels like fall, with deep reds and oranges throughout, making the cafe feel warmer than perhaps the weather outside would have you think it is this time of year.

The Spoon opened in 2005, according to owner Joey Speranza, but he and his father became owners less than a year later.

"We were looking for something to do together," Speranza recalled. "We thought of truck routes, bagel stores... none of it fit."

Then, he said, his mother, a lifelong baker, came to mind.

"We saw this place one day and thought of it as a place for her to sell her baked goods," he said with a grin.

And since that day that Speranza, who also goes by the nickname "Joey Spoons," became owner, the Spoon has become a focal point and hotspot for Lindenhurst residents.

The coffeehouse serves as more than just a place to grab a cup of joe – a full menu includes chicken fingers, pies and pastries, sandwiches, milkshakes and so on. There's even a few local beers and wines. And if the beverages and food are not enough, the cafe also serves as a performing space for aspiring artists in our area.

Any Wednesday night on Wellwood, the coffee aroma is joined by another sweet thing – the sounds of voices singing, guitars strumming and the usual applause once they have finished.

"We do these theme nights almost every night of the week," Speranza explained. "One of the things I wanted to do was give the youth here a cool place to go. I think we did that."

People as young as five and as old as 88 have performed during the Wednesday Open Mic nights, Speranza recalled.

If singing isn't your thing, there's dream interpretations for free on Tuesday nights from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., a full-time psychic in on Thursdays and live music performances on Friday and Saturday nights starting at 7:30 p.m. Speranza is also planning a open poetry night so up-and-coming poets can read aloud to the attentive crowds.

With now seven years under his belt as own, Speranza said he just wants to keep the good times alive in Lindenhurst.

"I'm a crazy people person," he said laughing. "I love the support, the people here... I just really love the south shore."