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Old Tea Lounge Space Will Be Cleaner, Brighter Cafe, Owners Say

By Leslie Albrecht | November 27, 2015 10:43am | Updated on November 30, 2015 8:57am
 Sir D's Lounge will move into the old Tea Lounge space at 837 Union St. The owners hope to open in early December.
Sir D's Lounge will move into the old Tea Lounge space at 837 Union St. The owners hope to open in early December.
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Facebook/Sir D's Lounge

PARK SLOPE — It's the Tea Lounge 2.0.

A new cafe opening in the old Tea Lounge space aims to be a cleaner, brighter and friendlier version of the beloved coffee shop, which closed in December 2014 after 14 years in business.

The new business, Sir D's Lounge, should be open by mid-December at 837 Union St. (between Sixth and Seventh avenues), said owners Chris and David Dixon.

"We're trying to bring back the essence of the original Tea Lounge," said David Dixon. "I believe the concept of the Tea Lounge was a great thing. Aside from selling tea and coffee, it was a community space."

The Tea Lounge was stocked with comfy couches that encouraged customers to while away the hours there, and the cafe served as an impromptu office and meeting spot for legions of roving laptop jockeys. It was also a popular gathering spot for mommy groups and kid-friendly sing-alongs.

The Dixons, who own the Tea Lounge building and Dixon's Bike Shop across the street, said they want to maintain that home-away-from-home feel, but with a few tweaks.

The Tea Lounge had a "grungy" feel, and the Dixons want Sir D's Lounge to be tidier, said David Dixon. He said he plans to have one employee whose entire job will be to keep the sprawling space spotless, including the bathroom.

The Tea Lounge sold off its vast furniture collection at an auction, and the Dixons have brought in new chairs and couches. Many of them are leather or vinyl so they'll be easier to clean, Chris Dixon said.

New track lighting will brighten up the dim space during the day, but the lights will be turned down at night when the space will feel more like a bar. Like the Tea Lounge, Sir D's will serve alcohol and host live music and open mic nights.

Better customer service will also be a goal at the new spot, the Dixons said.

In addition to coffee and tea, the menu at Sir D's will include bagels and croissants, a "huge salad bar," and plenty of snacks for kids who come in after school, Chris Dixon said. The Dixons also plan to honor their Jamaican roots by serving Jamaican beef and vegetable patties from Royal Caribbean Bakery in the Bronx.

One key change could be in the works for the space: the days of endless free Internet access could be over. The Dixons said they're considering a system where customers would get a temporary password to the cafe's wifi every time they buy something.

"We have to pay our bills, so we're looking at ways where only customers can use the wifi," said David Dixon.

In the wake of the Tea Lounge's closure, a group of regular customers hatched a plan to open a combination cafe, co-working spot and community center in the space. Led by local resident Steven Stromer, they even collected money from investors to help fund their vision.

The Dixons said they held the Tea Lounge space for Stromer for several months, but his plan never came to fruition, so they decided to take it over themselves.

Stromer told DNAinfo New York recently that he still wants to open the business, which he had named the Park Slope Meeting House, but that he needs a bigger space.

He's now scouting for a larger spot in the South Slope. He's got his eye on the former Aaron's department store building on Fifth Avenue and 17th Street and the Pavilion theater building on Prospect Park West and 14th Street, he said.

Stromer said he's informed the people who invested in his Park Slope Meeting House concept of his new plans. Some asked for their money back, he said, but he's also gained new supporters.

Stromer said there's still a dire need in Park Slope for community gathering spots similar to the Tea Lounge.

"I pray for Chris [Dixon] that his space is hugely successful, because if it is, it means the community benefits," Stromer said. "I'm hoping they successfully take the best of what Tea Lounge was, incorporate that, and figure out how to shape it for the next age."