Rich woods, exposed brick, textured fabrics, and of course, the tantalizing smell of coffee, and a newly opened wine bar. Welcome to SOVA.

Coffee HOUSE
Four months ago, Frank Hankins, a 20-year resident of DC, opened SOVA at 1359 H St. NE. The interior looks like a well-appointed home, only more spacious and with more seating. This velvety, cozy and cool space beckons patrons to find a spot as a group or to set up camp in a niche.

“Comfortable,” Hankins answered straight away, when asked the words he hopes people to associate with SOVA. “When people come in, that’s one of the first things they feel, like it’s a second home, and they can find their own little cozy corner. Whether it’s sitting on a sofa, or sitting at a farm-house-type trestle table, they can relax, get a cup of coffee, a glass of wine, kind of kick back. We have free WiFi, so that allows people to work or do whatever they want to do.”

“Quality” is Hankins’ other standard. “It’s not about just having a pretty place. There was a lot of effort on my part to get a really good coffee roasting company to have a relationship with,” he explained. “There are probably only a handful of coffee places in DC that are really passionate about the coffee. There’s a lot of passion and research, and in my case, joining coffee associations, going to trade shows around the country, speaking with people who have been in the business for years.”

SOVA serves Intelligentsia Direct Trade Coffee (www.directtradecoffee.com), an exceptional coffee that is cultivated in healthy social and environmental conditions and earns the grower at least 25 percent above Fair Trade prices.

Community Space
“What we’ve got is a place for neighbors to come and actually meet each other,” said Hankins. “In one of the first weeks we were open, I was working behind the bar. There was a couple sitting in the window and another couple coming in. They had never met each other living on the same street, and it wasn’t until they actually came here and sat in the front window and had coffee together that they introduced themselves.

“I’ve had neighborhood associations – Rosedale Citizens Alliance, the H Street Co-Op, book clubs, chess clubs, groups of friends come because they like the feel – they like that they can come to a room and ... because of the configuration of the space, feel like they’re not disturbing the rest of the place. On Fridays, we have two different MoTH (Moms on The Hill) groups – at 10 o’clock, we have the knitting group, Friday Morning Knitters, and at 2 o’clock, it’s the newborns’ moms. So I guess what I’m proud of in this case is that it’s not just moms from this immediate part of the Hill, but from the other side of Capitol Hill … It’s good to have them here.”

Everybody Raise a Glass!
The theater crowd now has a plush place to muse about performances over Rishi Tea or a Sauvignon. “As much as I like [Joe Englert’s] venues … I wanted something that would be different from what he offers but would also complement some of the existing establishments, like the theaters,” Hankins said.

From the neighborhood, “I’ve gotten nothing but support,” said Hankins. “From the outset, I made it very clear, the type of venue it was going to be, that it wasn’t going to be your regular old bar … The emphasis has always been coming to a relaxing place, enjoying a good glass of wine.”

What is Hankins drinking? “You can’t beat a good latte in the morning. As far as the wine, I have what I consider to be an eclectic wine menu. I have wines from regions that people wouldn’t consider wine-growing regions. One wine in particular … is a Hungarian red wine called Mini Evolution, which is really good.”

SOVA will hold a grand opening celebration mid-May, and a menu selection is coming soon to complement the current offering of pastries and beverages.