Serendipity Coffee & Caf thriving in Carbondale

Factoid:Serendipity is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the summer and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the fall. The phone number is 529-5859.

Warm red-textured walls envelop wrought-iron tables, lantern-style light fixtures hang from the ceiling and white Christmas lights entwined in vibrant greenery accent the romance of it all.

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The soundtrack to “Chicago” hums along beneath the murmur of a diverse crowd enjoying specialty sandwiches and drinks.

Is this a dream? A vacation?

No. This is just a daily dose of destiny.

Serendipity Coffee & Cafe, located at 887 E. Grand Ave., is a quick trip to interesting new places for those who set their imaginations free.

At the least, it’s a blast of culture in a cozy setting. And don’t forget the great food and beverages.

Serendipity opened in October 2002 after being brought to life by Kevin and Kellie Miller of Makanda.

The couple owns the salon next door to Serendipity, A Cut Above, where Kellie is a hairdresser. It has been open for six years. Kevin is also a full-time Carbondale firefighter.

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Kevin said that the building Serendipity is located in had been empty for about seven years. It had previously been a restaurant, so it already had the stove and counter. After some consideration, the couple decided to create a coffeehouse in the empty space.

“We were nervous, but we jumped right in feet first,” Kevin said.

Kellie chose the decorations for the cafe from a variety of retailers, and Kevin hung everything up.

“I built these awnings to make it seem like you are sitting outside, like a little French bistro,” Kevin noted, pointing to the awnings found on the inside of the windows.

The seating, which is in a variety of styles, all comes together quite nicely.

“It turned out prettier than I anticipated,” Kellie said, “I love the decor.”

“We’ve got to make some changes,” she added, “to make room for more seating. Sometimes we will lose customers because they will walk in and there will be nowhere for them to sit.”

The caf plays upbeat music like jazz, crooners-style music and classical.

“Nothing too slow,” Kevin said.

Originally planning to offer coffee and pastries, the business quickly escalated into soups, salads and sandwiches, as well, and has turned out to be quite a success in the short 10 months that it has been open.

Kevin said that Serendipity has turned into more of a little restaurant/caf than a coffeehouse, and that he thinks it will continue to grow.

“It’s been a lot of work, but I think it’s going to pay off in the future,” he said.

Everything at Serendipity is homemade and freshly prepared daily.

“Chicken Salad is our No. 1 sandwich,” Kevin said.

Serendipity also caters and allows people to rent the cafe for baby showers, wedding showers, etc. They also have daily specials, including prime rib sandwiches on Wednesday, which, according to Miller, always sell out. The specials are items not on the regular menu.

“We’d like to get into delivery,” Kevin said, “maybe when school starts.”

He also said that they have a lot of regular customers. For example, employees from doctors’ offices come in weekly, calling ahead and reserving tables for eight to 10 people.

When deciding on a name for the cafe, Kellie and her coworkers at A Cut Above stumbled upon Serendipity.

“We were trying to come up with something unique and different,” Kellie said.

Serendipity, which means a fortunate discovery by accident and suggests an element of fate or destiny, seemed like the perfect choice when the idea came up.

From the name, they developed the slogan, “A daily dose of destiny.”

“I’m someone who believes that things happen for a reason,” Kellie said.

“You may not know what that reason is for a while, but eventually you figure it out.”

Reporter Linsey Maughan can be reached at [email protected]