We are proud to announce that the newly openend Agia Sophia Coffee & Books, located at 225 Market St, in Harrisburg, PA is serving fresh roasted Fat Puppy Coffee! For the past two years, dedicated Orthodox Christians from the greater Harrisburg area have been working diligently to create a cafe that acts as a physical, spiritual, and intellectual haven from the hussel of everyday life. Using the Agia Sophia Coffee Shop in Colorado Springs, Colorado, as inspiration, the team has successfully created an atmosphere that is warm, comfortable, and inviting.
Agia Sophia also aims to capture the historical coffeehouse vibe where citizens met to discuss such topics as business, politics, and religion. To help them, Agia Sophia teamed up with Eighth Day Books of Wichita, Kansas, to select a vast assortment of classics in literature, religion, history, and philosophy. Titles from C. S. Lewis, G. K. Chesterton, and J. R. R. Tolkein can be found as well as Dostoyevsky, Solzhenitsyn, and many others. Agia Sophia has a lounge area where people can sit down and relax, or engage in discussion with other patrons, and free wi-fi is available for those who wish to remain “plugged in”.
While Agia Sophia is in the coffee business, their ultimate purpose is the business of community service. All the profits of the coffeehouse will go to the financial benefit of local, regional, and international charities. The Orthodox Christian Charities of Greater Harrisburg will assist in the distribution of the coffeehouse profits.
Along with fresh roasted coffee, other items for sale include:
- Espresso based drinks
- Fruit smoothies
- Italian cream sodas
- Homemade baklava
- Bagels & cookies
- Mighty Leaf brand teas
- Books
- Beeswax candles
- Bagged coffee
- Handmade mugs
Next time you are in Harrisburg, make it a point to stop in at Agia Sophia. Try the House Blend or maybe a latte or cappuccino. I hear they have a killer decaf too! The fresh baked baklava is to die for and the Espresso Bean cookies are also wonderful. Besides, not only will the fresh coffee make you feel good, knowing that your hard earned dollar is going to support charity will make you feel good too. As Fr. Stephen likes to say, “Coffee with a conscience!”