A Turkish coffee shop that recently began serving customers, celebrated its grand opening Saturday.

 

The Turkish Coffee Lady serves Turkish coffee, Turkish delights, pastry, herbal teas, baklava, gift items, and coffee artwork at 1001 King St. in Old Town, the historic center of Alexandria, Virginia.

 

The woman-owned coffee shop is the first in Old Town to have the title of Turkish coffee business.

 

Owner Gizem Salcigil White, a Turkish-American entrepreneur, launched her first initiative to promote Turkish coffee in 2009, despite naysayers who said Turkish coffee would not be known.

 

"People like Turkish coffee so much and want to consume more but they cannot find it," White told Anadolu Agency. "We need to make Turkish coffee accessible."

 

The coffee market is growing in the US and beyond and White believes now is time to promote authentic Turkish coffee. "It has social, economic, and cultural benefits," she said.

 

Hasan Kale, a Turkish artist known for his miniature drawings of beautiful landscapes on tiny objects, is also part of the initiative to make Turkish coffee and its culture familiar in the US. In some cases, he uses coffee and tiny brushes.

 

"We have begun a new trend regarding coffee," said Kale. "Everything we do here will focus on Turkish coffee, we want to bridge the Turkish culture with other ones."

 

The shop is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

 

Turkish coffee was added to UNESCO's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on Dec. 5, 2013. Since then, World Turkish Coffee Day has been celebrated every year.

 

It is celebrated to promote Turkey’s 500-year-old coffee culture and its significant historical value while building cultural bonds.

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