By Caron Schwartz
Producing Art News for Paradise NEWS has led me to some interesting places. And my love of coffee has led me to others. 2D Café combined both into one fantastic journey. My friend Mary and I needed to do some planning for an organization we belong to.
Why not venture into that new cafe on Central Ave. in St. Pete? You cannot honestly say that the 2D Café stands out amid the other shops on the 2100 block of Central Ave. The sign is flat, just white letters outlined in black, nestled between the you-can’t-miss-’em signs for Wendy’s Closet and Speakeasy Kava. What draws you in are the doodles on the facade, the unmistakable cartooning of local muralist Chad Mize.
Mary and I were enticed by the aromas of hot java and steaming baked goods wafting into the afternoon sunlight. Once inside it was hard to tell if the black and white decor was real or more of Mize’s imaginings. After ordering our cappuccinos (courtesy of Dancing Goats) and empanadas (made in-house by owner Maria Merello) we found an actual table and chairs, all white with black outlines, on which stood a black wire “vase.” Beyond my companion I saw a comfy fireplace alcove. Could one sit in the chairs and place drinks on the tables? Hard to tell until the optical illusion was broken when a couple did just that.
The cafe’s motto is “be the art.” According to Merello, the drawings are meant to give visitors the feeling they are inside their own comic book. An hour of strong coffee and tasty empanadas later, plans were set in motion by we two comic book heroes.
2D Café
www.2dcafe.com
2105 Central Ave., St. Petersburg