The newest coffeehouse in Portland is Acoustic Coffee, and their mic is open all the time. Proprietors Mark Lembo and Margaret Lyons opened their doors at 32 Danforth Street the first week of September. Besides offering a wide range of food and beverages, they also offer a voice in the community for anyone who seeks one, through their “open stage all the time” ethos. Patrons are welcome (in fact, encouraged) to walk up to the microphone and read their poetry, play a song on the house guitar, or just speak about whatever is on their minds.
Co-owner Lembo is a singer and songwriter who has often performed at open mic events around Portland, including ones at The Well, a defunct coffeehouse on Forest Avenue. After The Well closed in July, all of its equipment and furniture went up for sale. Lembo and Lyons saw it as a great opportunity to jumpstart their own business, and they bought most of the coffee and food equipment and some of the furniture.
“There’s a seemingly endless grocery list of things you have to do just to open,” Lembo said, from obtaining licenses and paying fees to painting. But their purchase from The Well made their list a lot smaller. Everything was in excellent condition, and it included all they needed to operate their own coffeehouse.
As you walk into the shop, the performance area is on the right — a couple microphones, an acoustic guitar on a stand, and a Fender amplifier with a sound system off to the side. With just a rug underneath the equipment rather than an elevated stage, there’s not much to separate performer from audience.
That seems to be just what they had in mind. Lembo is enthusiastic about the open mic concept, and he sees it as a way of breaking down barriers — not only between performer and audience, but also between different kinds of people with different interests. He seems to make an extra effort to tell anyone who walks in that they’re welcome to take the stage, whether to speak, sing, play the house guitar or play their own instrument.
The idea seems to be a hit with many patrons, and some of them gladly take the stage to share their talents. Performances on a recent night included some casual acoustic slide guitar and some quite skilled and pleasant folk guitar playing and singing.
On Saturday nights, local bands and performers are featured; recent musicians have included Lizzie Dickerson, Los Federales and Adam Stockman. Acoustic Coffee also has a more traditional, structured open mic night every Thursday from 7:30 to 10:30 wherein each person or group signs up for a 15 minute slot. And Friday night is officially spoken word night.
The pleasant and spacious cafe is in a historic building near the corner of Danforth and York Streets. Built in 1838 by J.B. Brown & Sons (who still own it), the heavy timber and brick building was originally a warehouse for the Portland Sugar Company. The warehouse-style construction is apparent inside the coffeehouse, with its large unpainted Douglas fir beams and its expansive atmosphere. There are seven tables with chairs well-spread throughout the room; it feels less crowded than most of the other coffeehouses in Portland.
The walls are elegantly decorated with paintings by co-owner and artist Margaret Lyons. There is also a small gallery room near the entrance, where Lyons and Lembo plan to feature local artists. It will differ from traditional art galleries by letting artists keep more of the profits from works that are sold. Traditional galleries keep about half of sales receipts, Lembo said.
Besides the standard tables and chairs, there is an area in the back of the shop with two comfortable chairs and a sofa surrounding an antique RCA Victor television, which serves as a chess table. There is another chess table near the service counter on the other side of the room.
For food, Acoustic Coffee serves vegan/vegetarian soups, sandwiches, and snacks like cookies, croissants and biscotti. They also offer “myco-protein chicken,” which Lembo insists tastes just like real chicken. Waffle breakfasts are served on weekends. Beverages include coffee, tea, organic shakes, fruit juices, Italian sodas, vitamin water and soy drinks. They offer soy drinks at a lower than normal price, reasoning that people should not have to pay more for foods that are healthy.
Both Lembo and Lyons are health-oriented vegetarians, but they also recognize that many of their customers aren’t interested in organic or vegetarian food, so they also sell plenty of “unhealthy” things like potato chips, soda, pastries and cookies.
Acoustic Coffee is located at 32 Danforth Street in Portland. They are open Monday through Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Brian O’Keefe can be contacted at [email protected]