New Bellingham cafe aiming for hometown community feel

Dori Eppstein wants her new cafe to be about community, and she’s already getting that feeling from her neighbors.

Eppstein opened Dori’s Coffee Shop on May 13 at 1203 N. State St. The spot has been a location for a cafe for many years and Eppstein spent a couple months giving it an updated look with fresh paint, new furniture and equipment. The menu has breakfast sandwiches and local products, including coffee from Bellingham Coffee Roasters and baked goods.

Eppstein also plans on making Dori’s a place where local artists can display their latest work. The first art theme is dragonflies, which is the logo for her business.

She’s also opened up the upper mezzanine for more seating, but may also use it to host arts and craft classes in the summer.

The emphasis is to make it a community hangout, and she’s already been encouraged by what she has heard from customers.

“The feedback has been so warm and the local businesses have been great at welcoming me here,” Eppstein said. “They are excited to have a coffee place back here.”

She wasn’t sure what to call her business, and asked for feedback on Facebook. Dori’s wasn’t an option she listed, but that’s what her friends said she should go with, saying that it was the best way to represent a community cafe.

Eppstein said she is also interested in talking to local bakers to add more items to her menu.

A grand opening celebration with live music is scheduled for June 9. Regular hours are 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Details about the coffee shop can be found on its Facebook page.

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This story was originally published May 20, 2017 at 12:00 PM with the headline "New Bellingham cafe aiming for hometown community feel."