People visiting London Wolfe Photography studio on 11th Avenue used to say it reminded them of a coffee shop.
So co-owners Tamar London and Tammy Wolfe have developed one, kind of a double image for the space.
LWP Coffee Shop will open Friday at 1304 11th Ave., serving coffee from fresh-roasted beans, specialty drinks such as cappuccino and latte, chai tea, loose-leaf gourmet tea, cocoa and pastries, muffins and scones.
"Good news," said Patrick Miller, executive director of the Greater Altoona Economic Development Corp.
The shop will book entertainment in the form of acoustic music with piano or guitar, and hang pictures made by local artists - and the studio itself.
The photography business depends heavily on weddings, and engagements for winter are few, so Wolfe and her employees were casting about recently for something to fill the emptiness.
The coffee shop idea "popped into our heads," Wolfe said. Downtown can use one."
There are lots of office employees working nearby, and they see them walking by for exercise on the avenue.
A coffee shop would be a fun way to get them in the door, she said.
Brown-baggers will be welcome.
"We're all about making friends," Wolfe said.
She expects the shop and studio to be complementary, drawing attention to one another.
The studio has plenty of room and includes features like a fireplace, a fountain and Wi-Fi, helping create a comfortable atmosphere, she said.
She already hosts organizational meetings there.
Two previous coffee shops on the avenue didn't last long.
But hers will have the advantage of an existing business providing most of the investment, including furniture.
"We will not try to make a living with the coffee shop," Wolfe said. "If it were to fail, it's not going to put us under."
