Thinking of places to get coffee and study on campus? If you are, you may be in luck.
Kafe Kerouac is one of the only independent coffeehouses left on campus.
“Campus needed a good independent coffee shop, so I decided to bring one back,” said Michael Heslop, a former Ohio State student and the owner of Kafe Kerouac.
Kafe Kerouac opened its doors in May of 2004. Today, students can order espresso drinks with names such as Toni Morrison, Ernest Hemingway and Mark Twain. For only $1.75 you can drink all you want in ceramic mugs.
The shop is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. It is located at 2250 N. High St.
There are two separate rooms in the shop. One is smaller with a lot of tables, an easy place to make friends. The other room is for quieter studying. The shop also offers vintage books and records for sale, and games such as Scrabble, Othello and a Ouija board are also available to play.
“It’s cozy and not corporate,”said Ila Merick, a senior in biology. “I can make myself a nice do-it-yourself space. (It) makes me feel like part of the community.”
The walls of the cafe serve as a place for artists to boast their work. The shop also holds a writers group on Monday nights where local writers come in and read each other’s work and then critique and give each other ideas.
“We are definitely catered towards artists, writers and painters,” Heslop said.
The cafe is a very personal experience. It has a community atmosphere and it’s a great place to just chill out, make some friends and get some work done.
“I like coming here because I know the people and it’s laid back,” said Nina Siriano, a graduate student in art education. “The Kafe is friendly to the local community, and I like to support a local business.”
Katie Moore can be reached at [email protected].
