Coffee House Creates Welcoming Space In Old Town Fairfax

FAIRFAX CITY, VA — Fairfax City officials and business leaders helped launch a new coffee shop in Old Town with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday afternoon.

Common Culture Specialty Coffee & Brunch Cafe is located at 3955 Chain Bridge Road, taking over the space previously occupied by The Commons Fooderie.

"It is interesting that you named it Common Culture, because one of the things that we take pride in is how diverse our city is, how diverse the university is, and in our diversity is our strength," said Mayor Catherine Read, during the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Read went on to praise owner Alex Kim for adding outdoor seating and creating a welcoming place for people to gather.

"You're on the plaza right in the heart of the old town district, and I know that you have worked hard to bring your own touch to this space, and we are all looking forward to gathering here and enjoying your coffee," she said.

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"Small businesses like ours, it doesn't happen in isolation," said Jake Kang, Common Culture's operations manager. "It truly takes the whole community to support, and we thank you so much for coming today. ... This is not just a ribbon cutting for us. It's a sign for us that we're opening the doors to our community not to serve coffee, but to serve an environment for gathering."

Common Culture Specialty Coffee & Cafe is open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday-Friday; 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday; and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

In addition to the new outdoor seating, Common Culture upscaled its coffee menu, according to Kang.

"We have changed many of the machines that we had before," he said. "We wanted to really curate to high quality and just really show our passion through our coffee. We wanted to make sure when customers come in, they're not just buying a cup of coffee, but it has a passion and our hard work in it. That's our mission."

Tina Disch, executive director of the Old Town Fairfax Business Association, also welcomed Kim and Kang to the neighborhood.

"You are a success story, and you're just getting started," she said. "I can't even wait to see what's coming next."