Neighborhood Spotlight: Arosa Café

Santangelo: In Venezuela, we embrace warmth and exude a genuine sense of generosity. We possess an innate curiosity about people’s happiness and well-being. As an immigrant, I’ve built a community around our café that mirrors the closeness of a family. At Arosa, we have carefully crafted an intimate atmosphere where you will instantly feel at home, indulging in your favorite treats. Our goal is to provide a haven where you can recharge, be pampered, and relish in a joyful and comfortable environment.

Creating a family-friendly experience comes naturally to us, as we are not only a business but a tight-knit family ourselves. We serve dishes that resonate with our own children’s preferences, incorporating fresh and simple ingredients that are ideal for school lunches. Our lunch combos are cleverly designed to accommodate both family outings and professional meetings. We maintain flexibility in our menu to cater to the discerning palates of both little ones and those who are not so little.

Finding equilibrium between work and personal life can be a challenge, but as a team, we prioritize coordination and planning. To ensure quality family time, we have expanded our operational hours, allowing us to strike a harmonious balance.

It was our destiny! There was a magical moment when we needed to find our calling, and my wife went on Craigslist and found Arosa. This location had a sense of organic and intimate community. On one hand, you have all the businesses around that have grown and succeeded throughout the years, thanks to the support of the loyal customers and also the surrounding areas, like the gorgeous arboretum, The Bush School and the amazing neighborhood.

Building trust among our clientele has been one of the greatest challenges we encountered. Demonstrating our commitment to longevity and maintaining a service characterized by integrity and love was paramount. Over the course of nine years, we have proven ourselves as steadfast keepers of this establishment. You can feel it in the air. Many are bringing their loved ones and new babies. It's quite awesome how we’ve seen singles become families.

All the time, it’s like going skiing without snow or gear. One can’t be without the other. People have said this is their ritual now. They come for a mood recharge to Arosa Café, then go next door for baby gear and clothes at The Power Petite, lunch at Nick’s, or to Nick’s wife Ryan’s boutique, Emry.

We are like brothers and sisters in this small community. We’ve been faced with a significant amount of crime recently, and we have each other’s backs. I know for a fact, from your daughter Ari, at The Power Petite, that the store exists in great part due to Refind co-owners Susie Cohen and Jeannine Christofilis, who literally put their arms around her to help establish her children’s high-end consignment shop. I can see that she’s created a community herself with young parents in our community.

We have so many that you would truly cry! There is one that has stuck out the most. When we acquired Arosa Café, our son Allesandro was only 2. He’s now 11 and will be entering middle school this fall. Customers have seen him grow up, make deliveries and tend the till. When we were expecting our daughter Luciana, who is 5 now, everyone was excited and wanted to be part of it in some way. Arboretum Court tenants and regular customers threw a baby shower for us. Now, that’s something! This is “family” in capital letters.

Find it: Arosa Café is located at 3121 E. Madison St. in Seattle’s Madison Valley neighborhood.