Sojourn Coffee seeks to re-create European java house experience

Walter Daszy will tell you that most of the cafes in America are not like the ones in Europe.

European java spots are not like shops where people dash in during the morning rush hour to grab their venti-white-chocolate-mocha-with-nonfat-milk-and-a-shot-of-whatever drinks. People sit, relax, discuss what's on their minds. They talk about what's going on in their neighborhoods, their countries and the world.

It was something that Daszy was impressed with when he spent time in Europe nearly a decade ago with his wife, Carmen. So much so that they decided to try and re-create the experience here. The result is Sojourn Coffee on Old Towne Road in West Ashley.

"Someone suggested that I put a TV set in here, and I thought that was the dumbest idea I'd ever heard," Walter Daszy said.

The couple did set up satellite radio in the cafe. Depending on the time of day, anything from jazz to classic rock can be heard playing softly through the speakers.

Atmosphere is of utmost importance to them, right up there with quality and variety of both the coffees and baked goods that Carmen makes from scratch each morning.

She tinkered with the color of the walls a bit before settling on solid green, salmon and cream-colored walls. A piece of ironwork hangs near the entrance. And unlike other local coffeehouses, Walter said he shies away from putting up local artists' work for sale.

"I guess I'm a control freak," he said. "My original idea was to have pictures and posters from places around the world, and if you start putting up local stuff on the walls, it's dictated by the talent."

The couple met in Abilene, Texas, while Walter was a flight line supervisor in the Air Force and Carmen was a registered nurse. They eventually decided to live on James Island after they rented a car and drove along the Eastern Seaboard nearly 10 years ago.

Originally, they wanted to open a place on Folly Beach, but they were told by area business owners that it was hard to sustain such a shop there. Their next idea was James Island, but they couldn't find a spot where they thought they would get a steady stream of people from nearby neighborhoods. The current location was chosen because the owners liked the open feel of the space and thought the residents in the houses behind the shop would support them.

Still, they were nervous when they opened in January.

"We'd never done it before, so we decided not to advertise," Walter said. "We basically turned on the 'open' sign and hid behind the counter."

He equates the amount of business to fishing — some days you catch a lot, others not so much. But they have a growing number of regulars, and others stop in because of word of mouth or the sign that's visible from the road. They have yet to put any energy into marketing.

They start their day around 5:15 in the morning — Carmen creating custom quiches and scones, Walter making specialty coffee drinks.

He usually leaves around 7 p.m., except on Saturdays, when they have live music. Then it's a lot later.