A few years ago, my 2006 Camry stopped playing music from my phone. While this development initially felt devastating, I quickly came to appreciate the experience of relying on the same ten CDs. Infinite options are nice; sometimes it’s better just to have the edit.
Something of this idea is at work at Soif, a new downtown Durham coffeeshop-meets-bar, in that its postage stamp size, at 593 square feet, ruled out most permutations of what kind of bar it could be—leaving what’s there pared down and sharper for it.
Soif, which opens at 331 West Main Street in early March, will serve coffee during the day and flip to serving spritzers and cocktails at night. It’s the latest spot from Jesse Gerstl, who also owns natural wine bar Delafia on South Roxboro Street…