Velvet Connection

(4.5÷5 stars)
Beyond Unilocal 100 Challenge 2015 — 8/​?
This café was newly opened in early August 2015 and is located in the complex of shops within Chofu Nigiwai/​Sokubai Ichiba (market). It’s purely a local establishment as the main facilities themselves are right on the edge of Nogawa and under the Chuo expressway, but quite far from the nearest train station, Chofu on the Keio line.
That aside, the market complex itself is undergoing a revitalization in recent years as older shops and their owners have shuttered their businesses due to changing times. However, a younger generation of shop owners have gradually appeared to breathe new life into the place, Velvet Connection being the most recent.
Highlights:
+ Coffee: 4.5÷5 stars (all beans roasted and ground to order in-​store; particular attention to featuring Fair Trade certified beans from around the world (usually a selection of at least six different origins are available; hand-​drip the main serving method)
+ Food: ⁴⁄₅ (good selection of light desserts ranging from cheesecake, pastries, panini and others changing on a regular basis — all made in-​store and by hand; nothing shipped in)
+ Service: ⁵⁄₅ (warm, friendly, very happy to answer any questions you have about coffee, roasting, the brewing process)
+ Atmosphere: 4.5÷5 (comfy, warm and good for chilling over your cuppa, nice BGM to keep your thoughts pulsing. Lighting is a combination of natural and in-​shop ceiling spotlights and hanging lamps over tables)
+ Value: 3.5÷5 (as the café is new, there is a bit of room for adjusting pricing vs. quality vs. quantity of items; however, this will most likely settle in as time goes by. Coffee prices are competitive for in-​town specialty shops, but could be perceived as expensive for a local establishment, as people in the neighborhood may not be used to what more trendy hipster cafes charge in more trendy neighborhoods)
+ Access: 3.5÷5 (this is a result of the physical location, not the café itself. As described, it is quite far from Chofu station. On foot, it’ll take about 15 minutes; by bus, about ten minutes if you catch the mini bus (route number TBC))
+ Other: Coffee brewing accessories for home brewing available for sale;
handicrafts made by a NPO related to Fair Trade also available
Although the shop just opened, it is great to see a quality coffee shop in the neighborhood. Plus, more businesses like this to rejuvenate the market are welcome as many single-​family homes have been built in the area recently. The farmers market in the back of the complex has great selection of fresh items daily, plus the handful of other shops will help make the location a good alternative to the big commercial shopping places at similar or lower prices but higher quality. Besides, it’s about being local and supporting those businesses, right?