Cafe Collage Open!

IMG_8499, originally uploaded by Prince of Petworth.

Back in early March I wrote that Cafe Collage was set to reopen. And open it has. You can’t miss it, it is located on T Street just east of Saint Ex. Apparently Sat. May 10th was World Fair Trade Day and Cafe Collage was celebrating the event in style. They had a special traditional coffee roasting (see photo above – I’m not sure what the popcorn was about but hey who doesn’t like popcorn?) as well as a traditional Ethiopian musician. The musician was fantastic. Apparently the musician, Shambed Belayneh, is a renowned player of an instrument called the Maskino. It is a one stringed instrument that Mr. Belayneh used to play very melancholy tunes. While he wasn’t singing in English I was told he sang about coffee and traditional folk lore. It was awesome. Additionally, the cafe itself was super cool. It had two floors and was very tastefully decorated. I’m not quite sure why some folks are upset with this cafe. I’d think one would feel pretty lucky to have an Ethiopian owned coffee shop nearby. Did anyone catch the musician? Or check out the cafe? How does it compare to its earlier incarnation? Check out some photos of the interior as well as Mr. Belayneh after the jump.