Urban Hang Suite RVA owner Kelli Lemon (Photo by Eileen Mellon)
If you’ve ever met Kelli Lemon, chances are you know she is infectiously enthusiastic, a force to be reckoned with. The radio personality, social entrepreneur and host of the Coffee With Strangers RVA podcast is soon to add another undertaking to her list: business owner.
Lemon aims to open Urban Hang Suite RVA — a collective cafe and lounge geared toward “creatives” and community-oriented people, named after the debut album of R&B artist Maxwell — at 304 E. Broad St. by the end of September or early October.
“Where do you go to just hang out that isn’t a club, or bar, or coffee shop, where can you hang out and truly be engaged in what is going on? I didn’t see it,” says Lemon.
Lemon has combined and disrupted the typical cafe and lounge concepts.
The front half of the Urban Hang Suite space is home to a "social cafe," a high-energy area that can seat 15 people, meant for quick in-and-out visits. Lemon refers to it as “15- to 20-minute parking” — grab coffee, order food, talk with fellow caffeine lovers in line, catch the news and go on with the day.
“This [cafe] will be the local spot you get your news from,” says Lemon. “If it was the day after the tank, people would be talking about the tank.”
“Urban Hangers” can anticipate sandwiches, salads, bowls, soups and baked goods.
The culinary consultant behind the menu is Tiara Smith, founder of The Dropoff Chef, a local meal-delivery service, and future curator of Urban Hang Suite’s daily specials. Lemon talks excitedly about savory and hearty options such as lasagna, meatball subs or lobster rolls.
The front and back of Urban Hang Suite will be home to two living walls sprouting with lettuce, flowers, basil, mint and other herbs from Sun Path Family Farm, the only black-owned commercial farm in the city.
Lemon has partnered with Lamplighter Coffee Roasters and envisions 80 percent of Urban Hang Suite's offerings will be local — especially the craft beer selection.
“I’m not sure how to fit all my favorite Virginia craft beer in that one cooler,” says Lemon, an avid fan of sour beers. She also plans to serve wine, along with five or six Virginia-based signature cocktails. But if you think Urban Hang Suite will be the city's epicenter for wild nights, think again.
“No jumping on couches, we’re not a full bar — I will not be pouring shots,” declares Lemon.
The back area of the space is the lounge, where the magic happens and the essence of the “hang” aspect comes to life. Lemon warns, don’t enter the back area expecting to shush people and work in silence — that’s not the vibe here.
Her goal is curate a space where people feel comfortable staying for hours, a spot for people to connect and engage with one another, a creative and social collective that sparks conversations and the flow of ideas.
“Truly, this is the spot to hang out and be social,” says Lemon, who exudes the outgoing and vivacious spirit she hopes the space will encompass. “You can do work here, but I want people to understand, don’t tell people to be quiet, that’s not what this is for, it’s for creators who draw energy from others."
L-shaped couches in the lounge area provide a cozy atmosphere. On TV, guests can expect music videos, movies, sports and other entertainment. A large, inviting community table supports the interactive concept, along with two-top and four-top tables, a large projection screen, and a stage for bands and deejays to perform. Lemon envisions the space being used for podcasts, workshops, book exchanges and presentations.
Lemon's father is the sole contractor at Urban Hang Suite. “Woodworking people came in here and asked who did everything, and I said, ‘My daddy,” says Lemon proudly. “The poly [the finish], oh, that was me,” she adds, laughing.
As for the color scheme, Lemon, a hip-hop devotee, turned to one of the most well-known and celebrated artists of the genre for inspiration and employed black, white and wood accents in the decor.
“I want it to look like this urban, rustic barn met Notorious B.I.G,” says Lemon, “like If Biggie walked in here and saw this, what would he want to do when he got here?”
“He’d be ready to hang,” I say.
“Exactly!” Lemon exclaims.
Nestled in the heart of Jackson Ward, a part of town that was once racially divided by sides of the street, the space, an old film center, offers profound historical context.
“This side of the street was the black side, and I’m opening a black-owned business on this side of the street,” says Lemon. “My ancestors are looking down like, ‘Girl, do it, we remember what that building was,’ and I feel like they're cool with it.”
Lemon, who reveals that opening Urban Hang Suite is the hardest thing she’s done so far, says she's striving to create an inclusive environment based on respect and comfort. She wants to know her customers — say, Adina comes in Thursday mornings at 8 a.m., and her standing order is an iced chai latte with soy milk — and she wants them to know one another — ask questions, bounce ideas off each other and grow together.
The hope is to create organic, down-to-earth situations that draw people back to her business again and again and provide a personal experience based on genuine customer service. Chances are, if you're familiar with Lemon, you know she'll do just that.
"We're in an urban environment, and this will be a place to hang out and something totally different."
Urban Hang Suite RVA plans to be open every day. The proposed cafe hours are from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the back space does not yet have set hours, but Lemon says it may be “till the cops come knocking,” the name of a Maxwell song.
