the brick (favorite finds friday}

What is it that is so special about the perfect coffee shop?

Perhaps it is knowing that you always have a place to find even a momentary respite; a place to experience familiarity and oneself, a good conversation and a good cup of coffee. 

At different times in my life I have relished having a favorite spot where I could work or visit or spend some time with my own thoughts or a good book.  It is the kind of spot I have sought out each time I have moved to a new place, and I can still list each one.  They share similarities and differences all retain an emotional memory.  Perhaps because I have lived in unfamiliar places finding a unique spot has provided some comfort and a way to make an immediate connection. 

 
Coffee shop trips are a less frequent these days, but nevertheless I have found one quite near my home that just may be the best one yet. 
 

The Brick Café and Art Gallery in Belvidere, Illinois is such a beautifully eclectic spot.  It is located in a historic building just off the main throughway in the downtown of this quaint, slightly struggling little town. 

It is one of those places that invites you not just to sit for a while but to enter another world.  It offers a wondrous assortment of original artwork, inspiring and thoughtful messages, quirky crafted items and imaginative repurposed décor.

And it allows you to sit among them.  There is no separation between gallery and café, they are all one.  This intermingling of space does an interesting thing, it makes you aware of your own presence; everywhere there is something to be noticed; including you.

In this space I have experienced new perspectives and grown new connections.  I work here and I feel revived here.  It is the kind of place that is necessary to my connection to the greater place of where I inhabit.

The Brick is a reflection of its community and it invites it to connect and grow.  And I am most thankful to have found this new respite in my new land. 


With gratitude,
Joanna