Saurin Parke Cafe - Harlem/Morningside Heights
Saurin Parke Cafe was opened in 2003 as a pioneering cafe at the intersection of 110th Street and 8th Avenue in the Harlem/Morningside Heights neighborhoods of New York City.
Most recently, the interior of the cafe was featured in the New York Times in an article on the integration of newcomers in an evolving Harlem.
The cafe demonstrated that new restaurant entrepreneurs could succeed in the area and paved the way for such establishments as Society Cafe, La Negrita, Tribal Spears and Melba's.
Struck by the visible lack of retail services when he moved to the area in 2002, the owner, Rob Freeman Jr., was inspired to create a destination spot with strong, high quality coffee and espresso. He developed a plan for a run-down space (shown "before" at left) that had once housed a deli and negotiated a lease with Towers on the Park Condominium.
The challenge was to develop an inviting cafe with a convivial, warm atmosphere and do so on an extremely tight budget. The growth and success of upscale coffee shops throughout the U.S. was reassuring and multi-million dollar New York reproductions of the great French cafes like Keith McNally's Pastis and Balthazar were also an inspiration.
To achieve similar effects at a fraction of the cost, a concrete floor was laid down and detailed to produce the appearance of brick and stone painted mosaic tiles. Ardex was leveled and then "tiles" were cut into the surface as with a low relief, high impact wood carving. The concrete canvas was then hand painted using a warm palette of browns and yellows (these can be seen in the "after" photo above). An antiqued tin ceiling was installed replacing the standard acoustic ceiling tiles and fluorescent lighting fixtures, reusing the original ceiling grid. The tiles were spray painted to obscure the fact that it was a typical grid system.
A long banquette was custom built with dark green upholstery and
white piping. Inexpensive black plumbing pipe was used in place of brass wherever possible. To encourage a feeling of intimacy in the cafe, small wooden tables
were used throughout the space. Pine table tops were weathered by hitting them over and over again with a chain and then heavily varnished. Subway tile and a wall covering with a tobacco-stained appearance was used to accent the walls by the banquette and the counter service areas. Additional age added with antiqued mirrors and knick knacks from the Demolition Depot, and Old Wood Bars along with authentic French racing car posters brought back from Paris. Other French antiques were purchased online from sites like Ebay.
Finally a new storefront was added to differentiate the space and draw attention to the business. Three sets of French doors were built and a retractable awning was added. The result was a major improvement over the original retail architectural scheme, one that had largely been acknowledged by the community as an afterthought by the original developer of Towers on the Park, who had run into serious financial problems.
Saurin Parke overlooked 110th Street, Central Park and the Frederick Douglass Circle project which is undergoing a much anticipated $30 million reconstruction and redevelopment overseen by the NYC Department of Transportation, Urban Planning and Development and the Central Park Conservancy. The cafe's success was threatened in the beginning by the extent of the construction taking place which required moving sewer lines, widening roads, installing new electrical service, replacing sidewalks and re-routing traffic.
Saurin Parke developed a strong following early on by offering
exceptional, high-quality Arabica coffee, reasonably priced food and
free WiFi Internet access to its patrons. To
encourage people to not forget about it, the Uptown Insider blog on SaurinParke.com offered any and all the news that could be found on Morningside Heights and Harlem. The cafe also created helpful partnerships and became renowned for its accessibility, friendly atmosphere and authors' ambiance and it was featured in A.M. New York, The New York Times and New York Magazine, including it's "Best of" issue for these reasons. TV shows and movie producers also took an interest in the location and it became a set for an episode of MTV's Boiling Points and The Today Show and
several student films. Beer and wine specials were added and a full bar was built that created the opportunity to extend the hours of operation and attract a night time crowd. 
A rivalry was established between Saurin Parke
and the Hungarian Pastry Shop that was legitimized with a print advertising campaign that ran in the
Columbia Spectator that challenged Columbia students and faculty to "Think outside the Shop." The cafe managed
to draw heavily from the local college students in the area.
Saurin Parke was sold in late 2006 and is now operated under new ownership as Cafe Amrita.
