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Serenity brings new atmosphere to area

VIENNA -A new coffee house in Vienna hopes to bring a sense of community, a unique atmosphere and a variety of different tastes to the Mid-Ohio Valley.

Serenity Coffee House at 1903 Grand Central Avenue opened this past week, the culmination of four years of planning and hard work by General Manager Petia Johnson.

“Serenity is not just about serving a cup of coffee. It’s about the atmosphere,” Johnson said. “You can have a coffee anywhere. It’s about the feel when you enter. It’s about the community.”

Johnson said she hopes to see that community thrive at Serenity. In addition to drinks and food, the shop has a second floor for gatherings and meetings. The third floor is “Dancing in the Attic,” which features classes on zumba, belly dancing, Latin dance and soon African dance. Space can be rented for gatherings and events and some reservations already have been made for weddings and Christmas parties.

“It is a beautiful place,” she said. “I love hosting and entertaining and I love putting people together.”

The idea for Serenity, Johnson said, came a decade ago when she moved to Parkersburg after living in upstate New York.

“At the time there was only one coffee shop in Parkersburg, none in Marietta,” she said. “This idea came from a desperation of nothing to do.”

Johnson said she created several clubs in the area, both for her and for her son, including a chess club. Johnson also worked at Crumbakers in the Grand Central Mall and later purchased Seattle’s Best Coffee in the mall.

“That was a test drive for this bigger venture,” she said.

Johnson said Serenity is a wonderful meeting place for the many clubs and organizations in the area as well as a quiet haven for those that just want a few minutes of peace while enjoying a coffee or tea. Johnson said she has purposefully added some events for younger customers, such as a teen open mic night once a month, to give area youth a positive place to go.

“A little jewel in West Virginia, that’s what I believe it will be,” Johnson said. “But that is up to the people to decide if it will be a jewel or not.”

Johnson said the coffee house offers a variety of coffees and teas, organic snacks and savory pastries. The style of food is eastern European, with baked goods, salads and quiche.

“Quiche is our specialty,” she said. “All of our bakers are local from the Mid-Ohio Valley.”

The shop also offers meal replacement drinks made with natural and healthy ingredients, Johnson said.

For those on the go, the shop also has a drive through which offers scones, biscottis, muffins and J.R.’s Donuts as well as other menu items.

“Our main goal is to get people to try new things,” said Assistant Manager Tehya Gill. “We have a wide variety, something for everyone.”

Serenity employs 15 people, and Johnson said she goes to great lengths to make young employees feel welcomed and appreciated, including an employee meditation space.

“I wanted to provide young people with the opportunity to work in a fun environment,” she said. “When you have happy employees, you have happy customers.”

Johnson said she expects the shop will have some growing pains as she and the staff try new things, but hopes the community will be patient with this new experience.

“Let the babies crawl before telling them how to walk,” she said. “I want my employees to have that self confidence in their job, the chance to master it.”

Gill said people can find a schedule of events on Serenity Coffee House’s Facebook page, which is updated almost daily. The shop offers live entertainment and will begin poetry readings in the near future.

“It’s a very fun, relaxed environment,” Gill said.

For more information on the Serenity Coffee House, call 1-304-917-3500 or visit Serenity’s Facebook page.

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