Girolamo’s Double Duty Coffee Shop/Home

Name: Girolamo
Location: Dogpatch — San Francisco, California

I live in the Penn Station Lofts, a building in the sunny Dogpatch district in San Francisco. The lofts are situated behind the train station and I also happen to be the owner of La Stazione Coffee and Wine Bar. What’s cool about my loft, 8 years in the making, is that it’s a live/work situation so my commute to work is literally down a spiral staircase everyday.

I try and keep my work style separate from my life style. For example, you won’t find anything related to coffee in our upstairs dwelling. I made it a point to separate the two so that we don’t feel completely tied to work, although that’s very hard to do since the spiral staircase acts as an umbilical cord that attaches the two spaces. You will, however, find a transition space as you climb upstairs that has both home and coffee elements. For instance you will see large coffee bean bags, black and white framed art, and a framed photo of a spiral staircase that gives notion that there is a coffee shop directly below.

I would consider my style to be post modern & nautical baroque. The nautical style is from my family’s close ties to the fishing trade and the baroque comes from my Sicilian roots. One of my favorite pieces is an IKEA hack job which combines a Besta with my dad’s stinky chest of drawers he used to store his fishing clothes. I then put a long piece of cararra marble on the top and called it done! I like to combine these elements in a whimsical fashion where old meets new. I am a collector of things that aesthetically please me. From abandoned furniture orphans on Craigslist to leaves from the jungles of Brazil – I do not discriminate.

There are so many things I LOVE about my live/work space, words cannot do it justice. Over 8 years in the making, but unfortunately our days in this space our numbered. We bought a new place and are moving! I wanted to share this rare glimpse of my American dream and a little about my life for the community to see.

Thanks, Girolamo!

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