The Grammarie Coffeehouse Brings a Little Magic to New Providence

There’s something different about The Grammarie, a new coffee shop that opened Nov. 5 on Springfield Avenue in New Providence. Walking in, it’s sort of like watching a scene from the television show “Cheers.” Take out the alcohol, but add the kids. It’s clearly a gathering place.

As one customer from Summit explained to co-owner Ali Solomon, “It’s like Starbucks with culture.”

And it’s not just the homemade holiday decorations and music billowing from the record player in the background. Books for every age group line the walls. Part of the wall is actually made of chalkboard, so kids can draw directly on it.

Solomon said she’s had the business plan for The Grammarie for a long time.

“This has been my dream for almost 16 years,” she said.

Solomon had been refining the business plan based on possible locations, and her love for New Providence seemed to seal the deal. Two years ago, when she told people about the idea for selling and loaning the books (they go for $1 or $2 each), she said people kept leaving them on her doorstep. What’s in the store is only half the stock. Once a dent is made, they’ll set up a drop box in back of the shop.

“I love New Providence. I really feel that it’s such a nice place to raise kids, it’s very family-oriented,” she said. “When you do something for the town, everybody comes out to support it.”

Solomon is a resident in town, as well as a part-time math teacher at New Providence Middle School and New Providence High School.

A science fiction reader, she said the word Grammarie means magic.

“It shows up in a lot of fantasy books,” Solomon said.

This is fitting, being that the best seller at the shop is Butterbeer, a drink served to children at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando. At the Grammarie, Butterbeer is a sugary drink made of cream soda, condensed milk, butterscotch flavoring and butter.

According to Solomon, co-owner Stephanie Hern is the “business head” behind The Grammerie.

“I called Stephanie in August and was like please be my partner because she’s wonderful, so hardworking. It’s like having two hands that would do exactly what you would do,” Solomon said. “I’ve been really, really lucky that she was available and that she had the same vision—a place for the community to come together.”

Hern said she and Solomon have their own code word for the shop.

“We call it The Gram,” she said.

“The Gram” is certainly becoming a place for people in the community to have fun together. Solomon said January begins a new program in which each week a different author will be featured. Kids will come in and not only read the author’s books and listen to them in story hour, but also make their own stories using blank books The Grammarie supplies.

Morgan Guest, an art teacher in the area, will teach art classes and some illustration for books.

“She’s really cool,” Solomon said. “She’s really young and passionate.”

If that’s not enough, two high school violinists play every Friday afternoon, and soon they’ll have a harpist. Sign-ups for book club and knitting club are in the back of the store as well.

Solomon said the shop has even dabbled in birthday parties. The first theme was “Angry Birds,” and the second was the beach.

But The Grammarie isn’t just for the very young. She said local seniors in the area come in for coffee and get to know all the kids by name when they leave.

“Our senior citizen group is awesome,” Solomon said. “We have Ernie who was born in 1929. And Lily, from the senior citizen housing.”

The Grammarie serves more than 20 kinds of loose teas from Tea Guys and six organic, fair trade coffees from Dean’s Beans, both in Massachusetts. Fresh fruit smoothies are also popular.

Solomon said they would like to use more local bakeries.

“I’d love for everything to be local. Our flavorings come from a kid that went to New Providence High School. Griffith Flavors, we get all our [coffee] flavorings from him. I just love that we get so much local support,” she said.

Rich Errico, Solomon’s neighbor, who also runs the non-profit animal rescue said he tries to stop by whenever he can, usually a few times a week for his morning coffee.

“The coffee is great,” he said, “and they’re great people, too.”