A Yemeni-style coffee shop has staked its claim on one of Fairport's busiest commercial blocks. Maqam Coffee House has installed exterior signage at 92 South Main Street, marking its arrival in the village, though the shop has not announced when its doors will actually open.
The building at that address was home to Diane Prince, a locally owned gift shop that closed in July after 40 years in business, according to RochesterFirst. Right now, it's unclear when the cafe will open, the outlet reports. Village leaders told the station that other tenants could also join the ground floor of the property, though no further details on who those tenants might be have been released.
A Gift Shop's 40-Year Run Gives Way to a New Era
Diane Prince's closure after four decades marked the end of an era for Main Street shoppers, and its storefront now sits at the center of Fairport's latest retail shuffle. With Maqam's signage already up, the transition from longtime gift shop to coffeehouse appears underway even as the opening timeline stays unsettled. The possibility of additional ground-floor tenants, as described by village leaders, suggests the building could see even more change before all is said and done.
Part of a Regional Wave of Yemeni Coffeehouses
Maqam's planned arrival fits into a much larger pattern taking shape across the Rochester area and the country. Hundreds of Yemeni coffee shops have opened across the United States in recent years, according to NPR, which notes the shops are often distinctive for their beautiful designs, late hours, and coffee drinks flavored with cardamom and ginger. NPR's reporting also traces the trend back to Yemen's standing as an ancient birthplace of the coffee trade, with immigrants fleeing the country's civil war helping carry that culture into American cafes.
American-style Yemeni coffeehouses first took root in Michigan, which has a large Arab population, and have been spreading in popularity around the country ever since, per the Democrat and Chronicle. One chain, Qahwah House, founded by Ibrahim Alhasbani in 2017, now counts 23 locations stretching from Texas to New York, NPR reports.
Rochester's Own Yemeni Coffee Scene Is Already Expanding
Fairport isn't the only corner of the region getting in on the trend. Layali Coffee House, billed as Rochester's first Yemeni coffee shop, opened in Henrietta and is already building a second location in the Somerton Park building at 749 Park Ave., the Democrat and Chronicle reported. That Park Avenue spot will be a 1,600-square-foot space with a design similar to the Henrietta cafe, and Layali is targeting a December opening date, per the same account.
Layali's approach offers a glimpse of what sets these shops apart: the business serves single-origin Yemeni coffee beans shipped green to Rochester, where a local roaster roasts them twice a week, according to the Democrat and Chronicle. Whether Maqam Coffee House will follow a similar model in Fairport remains to be seen, but its signage on South Main Street suggests the village's coffee options are about to expand.
