the Jive coffeehouse

it has since closed:

Forget your chain coffeehouses. Your Starbucks, your Caribou Coffee. Even, yes, your Tim Horton's.

Erie has never been a hotbed of independently owned coffee shops. No, it's no Seattle that way, even though it may rain just as much.

Too many of them have come and gone through this town, like feathers in the breeze. Remember Moonsense or Aromas, for example?

Hopefully, the newest addition to that tiny list, The Jive, can escape this tragic fate.

Located across the way from the popular nightspot the Docksider, the Jive Coffeehouse has been plodding along rather quietly for the past several months.

It opened its doors for official business in late July, squeezed into prime Erie real estate at the address of 1014 State.

It was always a dream for Christina Polacci and her husband to run a coffeehouse in downtown Erie, an area famously lacking an authentic one.

"My husband and I were talking about this before we were married," she stated in a telephone interview. They wanted to own a coffeehouse, and where better than their native Erie.

"I hung out at Cuppachino's as a teenager," said Polacci. "I missed having a normal coffeehouse."

Selections from their menu are not only heavily coffee-oriented, although there is a healthy selection of flavored coffees and cappuccinos to help yourself to, as well as teas and pastries.

Food can also be purchased, including a wide selection of soups.

Polacci's cooking training has been faciliated by the fact that she has worked as a "stay-at-home mom" for the past couple of years, giving her time to perfect many soup recipes.

The menu won't break your wallet, either, as all items are under $10, with the exception of the art, produced by local artists.

And there is free WiFi, always a plus. A student can choose to vegetate on the large black sectional or the tables by the windows, perfect for people watching. The atmosphere is warm and furnished with a modern taste.

In addition to the delectable menu, a cafe attendant can soak up an atmosphere that is ripe with rich and soothing music, such as the new jazz on Saturday afternoons that was just implemented.

From 2 to 4 p.m. on a Saturday (surprise), a jazz band occupies the coffeehouse and provides cool sounds for patrons to relax to.

Right now, however, the hours are a bit unorthodox and perhaps not convenient to most everyone.

The Jive is closed on Sundays, and on weekdays it is open for the breakfast and lunch rush, which it serves rather readily.

The hours range from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Saturdays it opens a bit later with 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., the same endtime.

Polacci expressed her desire to expand these hours, as many patrons have requested.

But working with a limited staff means limited options.

You can give the Jive a call at (814)-454-JIVE (5483). But, if you have any taste whatsoever, you'll want to stop in and grab a cup of homemade chai tea instead.

"People get addicted to the stuff," joked Polacci.

NOVEMBER 11, 2009