A martial arts studio was the most recent business at the northwest corner of Whitaker and Broughton streets.
It always seemed an odd spot for a personal service business that appealed only to a tiny fraction of pedestrians. For a point of comparison, look at the vibrancy of The Paris Market right across the street.
I’ve written a lot over the years about the importance of corners in pedestrian-friendly downtowns like ours.
Corners are meeting points that add cultural and economic dynamism to urban environments.
At least they have that potential. We have plenty of underutilized corners in downtown generally and on Broughton Street specifically.
That underutilization is in part a logical result of poor street design. Our one-way streets with unnecessarily wide lanes and no buffer of on-street parking encourage drivers to go fast and encourage pedestrians to stay away.
No, streets like Whitaker and Drayton are never going to be as beautiful as the ones with squares, but there’s no reason they should be so forbidding.
Despite the unfriendliness to pedestrians, Whitaker Street north of Broughton sees plenty of foot traffic. After all, those few short blocks include The Lady & Sons, three pizza places, three fine restaurants, a couple of bars and other shops.
Now, with the opening of The Coffee Fox at the northwest corner of Whitaker and Broughton, we have another business that’s eager to take advantage of that dynamic corner.
I had coffee and a kolache at the new coffee shop on Saturday afternoon along with a steady stream of shoppers, tourists and others. Many were getting drinks and snacks to carry out, while others seemed eager to take a break from the bustle on the sidewalk.
The Coffee Fox is the sister business of Foxy Loxy, the café and print Gallery on Bull Street near 36th Street.
Open just over a year, Foxy Loxy has become a vital community gathering point for neighborhood residents.
With its obvious appeal to tourists and shoppers, The Coffee Fox will develop a different vibe, but it will certainly become a routine hangout for a variety of downtown residents and workers.
While Foxy’s interior invites lounging, The Coffee Fox has counters and small tables in keeping with Broughton’s faster pace.
The Coffee Fox obviously has a full range of coffee drinks and other beverages. The food menu is lighter than the fare at Foxy Loxy, but includes a few breakfast items, cheese boards and pastries baked at Foxy.
The Coffee Fox is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Beer and wine should be available in the near future.
City Talk appears every Sunday and Tuesday. Bill Dawers can be reached via billdawers@comcast.net and http://www.billdawers.com. Send mail to 10 East 32nd St., Savannah, GA 31401.