Neighbors christened Deja Brew, the long-awaited new coffeehouse at West Rock and Edgewood, with this teddy bear.
A “quiet launch” has taken place this past week. For years neighbors told Carol Frawley they’d like her to open a Lulu’s-style shop in the building across from Edgewood School.
Families with young children (dozens have bought homes within a block of the store) filled the shop Sunday. One of them donated the teddy bear as a playmate for the under‑8 set.
Frawley’s husband Mike, meanwhile, had scoured antiques stores for other homey furnishings, such as this 1920s Register rack (filled with 2007 vintage editions), a 1930s Zenith radio console …
… and this Mother’s Oats box. Mike attached the box to an antique sewing stand. Voila — the official Deja Brew trash receptacle. The mantel above the fireplace features a photo of the Hillhouse High School Class of 1932.
“I wanted it to be a cozy, comfortable place,” said Carol, who first got the idea for the shop more than a decade ago. She was inspired by a gathering spot where her family vacations in Edgartown, Mass. A devoted mom, Carol waited until her youngest son left home for college to undertake the project here. Her husband worked along with two volunteers, neighbor Chuck Wong and brother-in-law Joe Salerno, to carry out a loving renovation of the space.
Deja Brew offers classic New Haven coffehouse fare: panini sandwiches, bagels, muffins, pastries, croissants, along with gourmet coffee and tea. And room to hang out, of course. Hours for now are 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, 7 – 2 Saturdays, 8 – 2 Sundays. Frawley said she’ll open longer come spring and summer. Pictured: manager Marco Borges.
Ed Burns, Edgewood School’s assistant principal, stopped by Monday to order gift certificates for the custodians. It was a holiday present. The shop itself is a gift to the school, to hear Burns tell it, a “neutral environment” for teachers to meet with parents, or just grab a bite or a coffee. “It’s kind of great,” he said. “People are super-excited.” The shop also seems an ideal spot for the many parents who walk to the school to pick up children, or for the neighborhood’s home-based professionals. Frawley expects to have wireless internet available next week.
Unlike at, say, a Koffee? Too, the vibe is vintage, not hip. The soundtrack is generally ’40s standards, Frawley said. On Monday it was Christmas music. Son Tucker (pictured with Carol) was helping out in between his MBA studies at University New Haven and his Yale coaching duties. He chose the day’s music.