Dharma Arts

...Or as the place with all the mismatched furniture. Or as the location of Dharma Arts’ wildly successful 3-D bash. But chances are, you’ve heard of Raw Sugar. And if you haven’t, you soon will. There’s no shortage of reasons to pay this magical little cafe a visit—the fact that their hot bevies are top notch is really just a bonus.

Before we get into the intricacies of finding the perfect Earl Grey and selecting the ideal chaser for stuffed grape leaves, let’s go back to the beginning…

Once upon a time there was a city. And in this city there was a thirst—but not for water. Rather, the city thirsted for fun; for change; for inspiration. For quiet spaces and soothing libations like premium coffee and beer. And for a place that—brace yourself— served them both in one place. The citizens of the city felt cheated, for elsewhere, like the kingdoms of Toronto and Montreal such cosmopolitan options were bountiful. But behold, somewhere in the summer of ’08, amidst the wafting aromas of General Tso’s chicken, hope appeared on the horizon.

Forgive me for the grandiose scene setting, but when Raw Sugar arrived on the scene, it really did seem a dream. The neighbourhood had been curiously bereft of java joints up until then—and with an increasingly gentrified population, the young professionals of this hood were going to need their good morning happy juice.

Even before this place opened, you could tell it was different. Anyone who ventured down the Somerset West corridor known as Chinatown last summer, would have noticed a promising new sign bearing a funky coffee shop logo on what used to be an Asian travel agency and video store. Where newspaper or dirty drop cloths would usually cover the windows of a business still under renovation, here there was splashy wrapping paper titillating the interest of passers by. And of course there was that impending liquor license notice proudly placed in the window—whose otherworldly subtext hinted: pour it and they will come.

—the funky logo, the hip name, the wrapping paper windows, the novelty of having microbrew beer next to premium coffee—that prove owner Nadia Kharyati has the kind of natural genius that franchise marketers can only dream of. It was little details like this that built anticipation. And boy was there anticipation. Because—as the first time entrepreneur would soon find out—the city takes its sweet ass time with paperwork. “It’s hard to know if it was bureaucratic ineptitude or an initiation ritual to ensure new business owners are really committed, but the paperwork was one of the hardest things about getting this place off of the ground,” says the small business newcomer. “But it’s probably good that it took two years to make it all happen,” explains Nadia, who used the time between her site selection and opening day to tailor her vision to the new space.

The café is a visual feast. Full of original artwork, perfectly placed kitsch and mismatched vintage chairs and tables, it’s the restaurant’s décor that will first catch your attention. “I spent two to three hours a day on Used Ottawa to get all my furniture,” admits the cafe owner, “It became an obsession.” An obsession that paid off big time since it saved her significant costs on what is usually a new restaurant’s biggest expenditure next to renos. In only three months, Nadia managed to hunt down several items that are usually once-in-a-lifetime finds. In case you’re wondering: the green leather couch and blue hutch are her most coveted pieces.

Garage sale chic is nice, but there’s more to the charm of Raw Sugar than a few antique finds. Whether she knows it or not, Nadia has struck atmospheric gold. Here are just some of the reasons visitors don’t want to leave once they sit themselves down in Raw Sugar.

Lighting – Big windows bring in natural daylight and flood the café with sunny warmth. At night time, an eclectic arrangement of floor lamps bathe the room with a cozy glow from the ground up. Never ever are the overhead fluorescent bulbs called into action.

Colour – “A little colour goes a long way,” according to Nadia. Whose travels through Amsterdam, Paris and elsewhere in Europe got her addicted to multiple hues. “People often describe the space as beautiful, but I think of it as funky more than anything else.”

Quirkiness – Raw Sugar is full of visual rewards. Whether it’s the wire bust at the entrance, the Light Bright sign in the window, the gaggle (flock?) of ceramic owls behind the cash, the framed wonder woman on a velour background or the fearlessness mismatching that defines the entire space, each new visit reveals details you might not have seen before. “There were quirky things everywhere in Europe. I’ve definitely let my travels inspire my design choices here.”

Attention to Detail – Take almost any element of Raw Sugar and you’ll see that there’s thought behind it. The bathrooms have magnetic word games on the wall, there’s an organ waiting to be played – heck, The Acorn’s Rolf Klausener can often been seen sloughing coffee behind the counter! But beyond all of this, the food and drink is of the highest quality. “I try to buy local and organic products whenever possible,” says Nadia whose baked goods come from Bread and Roses, whose organic fair trade coffee comes from Francesco’s, whose beer comes from Beau’s brewery in Vankleek Hill and whose own mother makes the stuffed grape leaves, tabouleh and the hummus.

Hospitality – It’s the subtle cues that tell a customer we really want you here. At Raw Sugar it’s the chess table in the back corner. It’s the free flavoured water always out for the taking. It’s the mini-library filled with fabulous reads like Japanese Inventions, some Kierkegaard and Life of Pi along with a magazine collection including Bust, Utne and Art in America. These details make the café feel like home to many – likely explaining why such a large and loyal customer base has already taken hold.

While it looks like Raw Sugar is the product of a professional design firm, it’s not. Nadia simply uses herself as a measure of what works and what doesn’t. “I take my favourite things from the favourite places I’ve been. I figure if it makes me feel good it probably makes other people feel good too.”

The Lifestyle Café
Part Café, part bar, part party venue , Raw Sugar fills a gap for a different kind of customer.

In keeping with its expect the unexpected philosophy, Raw Sugar has become much more than a mere café. Over the past months it has hosted “queer quickies,” a speed dating night for the GLBT community. For board game geeks, there are Scrabble and Settlers of Cattan evenings. There are more practical events like Start Your Own Business and Letter Writing workshops. There are musical performances—Flecton Big Sky, Lisa Poushinsky/Brian Simms and The Devillaires have been some of the past acts.

Upcoming events include:

Saturday March 14– The Ottawa Folkfest auditions Open to the public to enjoy.
Saturday March 14– Andy Swan (8pm, $ TBD)
Sunday March 15– Lisa Poushinsky, Brian Simms and friends w/Liam Kearney opening. (8pm, $8 or PWYC)
Wednesday March 18– Mathew de Zoete (8pm, $TBD)
Thursday March 19– The Kymeras (story tellers) (7pm, FREE)
Friday March 20– Board game night (Bring a board, any board) (7pm, FREE)
Saturday March 21– round 2 of the Ottawa Folkfest auditions. (12-5pm, Open to the public to enjoy.)
Finally Saturday March 28– sock monkey workshop (BYO Supplies) (2-4pm, FREE)

For a complete, long-term listing of Raw Sugar’s upcoming events visit their Facebook page. Raw Sugar is located at 692 Somerset West, Ottawa, Ontario.

On January 30th, Dharma Arts held it’s first big bash ever. It was called Dharma Arts 3-D, featured a series of musical, visual and performance artists from past features and managed to seriously test Raw Sugar capacity. Check out our photo collection from the party in this very issue.