A Place for the Locals
Written by Blair Townley
The quest continues!
I’m still on my personal mission to find where young, working professionals in Lake County go to meet and mingle during the week and on weekends.
Recently I’ve seen and heard about the local favorite in Eustis, Olivia’s Coffeehouse, and thought I would give it try to see who I might find there.
I attended their Friday night “Open Jam Night,” arriving about a half hour after the “jam” kicked off at 7 p.m. Pictures on Olivia’s web site of previous jam nights seemed to show a decent crowd of people of all ages having fun and enjoying the music.
I can actually say that I wasn’t the only young person there as there were a few 20-somethings in the audience bobbing their heads to the music as they partook of food and drinks. It was noticeable that the crowd mainly drifted more towards the 40 and above age range, though it was an eclectic mix of the artsy crowd and typical retiree couples.
Packed could definitely describe how Olivia’s was on Friday night and I was lucky to find a table that allowed me to have a full view of the entire place, yet there was not a bad seat to have at Olivia’s.
I ordered lemonade as my drink of choice for the evening, as it was specially mentioned in the menu and I’m not much of a drinker.
As I sipped my lemonade, I heard a wide range of tunes performed by the local musicians, everything from country songs (accompanied by a fiddle) to Elvis Presley to some personal rock creations.
I found myself bobbing my head to the music but becoming a little perturbed at first that people were carrying on their conversations while the musicians played.
The understanding at Olivia’s though is that the music encourages the carefree atmosphere that if you are not actively listening to the performer that you are no less appreciative for their performance that night.
The music added to the coffeehouse’s welcoming feel and Olivia’s soon resembled a “Cheers”-like setting with table-hopping, shared appetizers and embracing by everyone. It was definitely a place to visit friends with friends in tow.
Olivia’s also boasts great service as the waitresses were constantly making the rounds to customers throughout the petite coffeehouse, yet didn’t seem the slightest bit bothered when you stopped them in mid-round for a refill or food request.
I wouldn’t say Olivia’s was the ideal place for a person to meet the young professionals of Eustis, or to even go to alone if you don’t know anyone at Olivia’s already. However, it is a good place to take a visiting friend or have happy hour with co-workers to start off the weekend.
Olivia’s Coffeehouse
113 N. Bay St.,Eustis
(352) 357-1887
www.oliviascoffeehouse.com
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