Small World Coffee in Princeton lives up to its name. It is an excellent cafe that beckons students from around the world and around the area and offers a stage for artists and musicians.
The cafe was founded in 1993 by Brant Cosaboom and Jessica Durrie, who met after college in Michigan, but both grew up living all over the world, from Italy to Korea. According to their website, those experiences abroad provided the foundation for their cafe.
Now, they have two locations. The main one, on Witherspoon Street, is not only a great spot for students to grab a cup of coffee and pastry while crunching out some work, it’s also a hub for artists from all over the country, visual and musical alike.
On Saturday November 6, Benya Stewart, a singer songwriter from Athens, Ohio, performed an acoustic set on his guitar.
“It’s very comforting and welcoming. I really enjoyed the live music that was here. It really decreases the stress,” Princeton student Dorothy Junginger said.
Beyond the coffee bar is a platform with tables and booth-like chairs extending along the art-decorated walls.
Small World hosts art exhibitions every month, where artists or collaborative groups display their work. This month, a group photo show, Perspectives on Preservation, takes the spotlight.
Stewart enjoyed how nature was the focus of the exhibition saying, “I derive a huge amount of inspiration from the forest for my music. I play forest and mountain music, you know, in terms of the folk music.”
While Stewart was playing, students sat throughout the back of the cafe behind laptops and open books.
“I really liked getting away from being on campus,” said Princeton student Rio Baron.
Mercer professor of Visual Arts Lucas Kelly used to work at Small World and remembers the companionship and kindness he found.
Kelly says, “[Small World] gave me access to a lot of the things that Princeton has to offer that Mercer students regularly access, and I don’t know that I would have tried to access them had I not been literally dropped right in the middle of town.” He added that, “Small World is very welcoming to Mercer students.”
Small World Coffee hosts live music every Saturday night from 6pm to 7:30pm, their lineup including Fear of Dancing, Darla Rich Jazz, and Rich Seiner. The next art exhibition to see Small World’s walls is a series of work by Diana Dubossarska, slated to install on December 8.
What this Princeton cafe boils down to is its community and excellent beverages. Baron prefers their cappuccinos, while Junginger prefers their hot chocolate.
Small World has excellent mochas, hot or iced, and hot chocolate. Both are balanced with vanilla undertones.
Professor Kelly says, “There’s this family oriented feel to that space that I don’t think happens in a lot of environments. At Small World, it just kind of happens.”
