A meshing of coffee and Latin American art will be coming to Charlotte this fall: Basal Coffee is scheduled to open within the art gallery Latin American Contemporary Art (LaCa) Projects, in the FreeMore West neighborhood near uptown.
Basal will offer specialty coffees, pastries, light food options, as well as wine and craft beer. “Food and wine and coffee bring everyone together,” said Neely Verano, managing director of LaCa. The combination aims to create a “center for cross-cultural dialogue,” says Verano, “where people can grab a great glass of wine or a cup of coffee, and wander through and see exceptional art.”
The café, which Verano said will be run by Bryce Laguer, is scheduled to open Sept. 15, inside the front interior and outside alleyway space of LaCa, overlooking the city’s skyline.
Plans also call for finishing renovation of a building attached to the gallery warehouse. That building will house artist studios and the gallery’s frame shop. Verano expects construction to run from early July to mid-September, and the gallery will be closed for the duration.
LaCa Projects was established in 2013, and also has a location in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Verano says that with how fast Charlotte has been growing, this is the perfect time to create a space like this, “enhancing the cultural fabric of our city.”