EVERETT – Commuters, travelers and visitors passing through Everett Station will no longer have to rely on vending machines for sustenance.
A new cafe, Espresso Americano, has opened and will serve coffee, pastries and other fare to the more than 5,000 people a day who pass through Everett Station.
The coffee should have a familiar taste and the name a familiar ring – the first Espresso Americano in town opened in January at the Everett Library.
Owner Ron DeMiglio said like the library cafe, the station will feature trained baristas pouring “latte art,” as well as walls and shelves featuring art for sale from local artists.
The new cafe also will feature food made fresh each morning – breakfast burritos, salads, sandwiches, treats and pastries.
“It’s the full-meal deal, but ones that people can take and have on the go. But without compromising the quality” of the food, DeMiglio said.
The new 1,227-square-foot cafe replaces the Everett Station Cafe, which closed Christmas Eve because of poor sales. That business was run by the state Department of Services for the Blind, which helps provide employment for blind people.
Since Everett Station opened in 2002, two blind businessmen tried and failed to make the Everett Station Cafe work, a state official said.
The agency had signed a five-year lease. When the cafe closed last year it was stuck paying the $1,631-a-month rent until Espresso Americano came along.
Everett Station had extra vending machines and a hot dog cart through the summer, but was searching for a permanent fit to provide tasty, on-the-go food, said Tom Hingson, Everett Transit transportation services manager.
“What we have is exactly what we wanted – a place that has high-quality products, nice surroundings and good customer service,” Hingson said. “We really couldn’t be more pleased with the finished product.”
DeMiglio, who graduated from Everett’s Cascade High School in 1977, spent years overseas building his business – mainly in Japan. The Everett Library was the company’s first stateside location. DeMiglio and business partner Tatsuaki Sasaki now have 96 locations worldwide.
Because of the full kitchen at Everett Station, Espresso Americano also will have more food available at the Everett Library.
DeMiglio said he’d actually like to open several more in the area to further his involvement in the local arts and charity communities.
“I get the feeling that Everett is in the beginning stages of a renaissance here,” he said.
Reporter Jennifer Warnick: 425-339-3429 or jwarnick@heraldnet.com.
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