Half of The Groove and The Grind Building Is Up for Lease

“Everyone’s supposed to leave in a better mood than when they come in.”

That’s the philosophy of video store (The Movie Groove) and coffee shop () owner Scott Sapienza.

In an age when we read about lack of face-to-face communities being replaced by on-line communities, the Groove and Grind are anachronisms to be treasured. But, with On Demand and Netflix (and the ubiquitous Starbucks) their survival is not guaranteed.

The Grind Coffee Bar is financially stable, but the Movie Groove can no longer pay their bills, according to long-time employee, Stephanie. So the owner is trying to find a tenant who will rent just half the building to occupy the video rental side so the coffee bar can stay in business.

However, after a certain period of time, the owner might have to rent out the entire building if no interest is shown in renting just half the building, Stephanie added.

The Grind opened on Valentine’s Day 2009, since The Groove found itself with a lot of extra square footage after replacing most of the video tapes (remember those?) with DVDs.

“I call it my Cheers,” says Sharon Levin (yup, that’s me), “When I walk in they greet me by name and they know my drink.”

Stephanie Lim says, “I wish everyone knew about this place. It’s what a coffee place is supposed to be like.”

The baristas talk about coffee as a sommelier discusses wine. “Ah, the Buena Vista,” says Enrique, “It has hints of dark chocolate and almonds. It’s a lighter version of a dark roast and works well in a lot of our coffee drinks.”

Just on the other side of the building is The Groove, a video parlor that puts customer service above all else. “Always exceeding their (the customers’) expectations,” Sapienza tells his employees.

“They really know their movies,” says Whitney Wood, a regular visitor. “I can’t imagine if it went away.”

“It’s supposed to be fun to go rent a movie,” says Sapienza. And, at The Groove it’s that and more. Customers get into discussions about what movies they like and why. The staff knows their clientele and is brilliant at making recommendations.

The Groove also personifies for me the belief of the village raising the child (the community taking an interest in all its members). For example, when my daughter was 14, she and her boyfriend wanted to rent a movie called Super High Me about a guy who is stoned 24/7 for a one month period (yes, it’s a documentary) and Stephanie, one of the long time employees said, “Hmmm, I need you to call your mom on this one first.” Elise’s boyfriend was shocked that Stephanie knew Elise and me well enough to step in like that. Elise actually was pleased because it made her feel cared for and a real part of her hometown.

Stephanie called me and once I ascertained there was no gratuitous violence or graphic sex (no sex actually) I said okay. It was actually a very good movie, but I really appreciated that Stephanie knew me AND the movie well enough to check in.

The Groove and The Grind makes our wonderful town even more special. A place where people meet face to face to talk, work and drink great coffee.