Northside Social Coffee & Wine — Restaurant in Arlington

MY VOICE WILL BE HEARD! On Friday, December 1st, I was a victim of racism and prejudiced actions. I was a vendor at the North Side Social event that was held and coordinated by Randi Milton.

The mistreatment by employees and customers was so overwhelming. My work was knocked over, thrown, and mishandled; my table was treated as a place to rest and lean up against my decor. My hat was stolen. There were people who were interested in my work, and a vendor who had no respect for me would take potential customers by shouting and telling them to come look at his items and divert them to his table.

The negative energy and hate I received caused me to leave an hour and a half early. As I tried to inform the event planner, @randimilton, as to why I was leaving early, she didn’t hear me out fully and brushed me off. I held back tears. What I am telling you is not even the full story because this would become an even lengthier message.

Now, Randi Milton said it’s a coffee shop, so people might’ve been thrown off with it being a pop-up shop event. But no, this place has negative air and negative energy. I’ve talked to people days after the event who are not of color, and they have said they knew not to participate in that event and something about it was off. This is not just towards me - The actions and racist intentions were definitely targeted at me - but this business as a whole does not have a good reputation, despite its positive reviews online.

The manager(Gana Ganbat), who I spoke with today, came to the conclusion that the reason I experienced people tampering with my table was due to limited space. And the reason for the workers unprofessional behavior was that one employee was shy, so he could come off rude, and the other one, who was mopping over my area and didn’t care about my equipment, was due to her not speaking English. When these acts are clearly acts of disrespect and unprofessional work ethics,

MY VOICE WILL BE HEARD, I will not be silenced and overlooked! Here in Virginia, I’ve had numerous dealings with racism and prejudiced actions and words. But as a business owner, I want to be treated with the same respect and kindness as everyone else. I am telling my story because I do not want other minorities or anyone who is against foul treatment like this to be caught off guard or enter this space. I’m not only doing this to bring awareness to my situation but also to help others. This is my truth, and this is my story.

— Mimi (Maliyah), owner of @mimicrochetapparel_LLC A Black...

I’m not much of a coffee drinker, but I like this fairly large coffee house for its pastries, its beers in individual bottles, and its pleasant size and location. It’s tucked right on Wilson Boulevard just past the bustle of Washington Boulevard, with a line of trees and a Capital Bikeshare dock between it and Washington Boulevard.

The pastries are nice and made either in-house or by someone close by. They’re different from and better than most of the pastries in the area. They’re pretty large and thick rather than delicate. They include a lot of things you might enjoy with coffee, of course, but some of these are pretty unusual, like pop tarts made with Nutella or blueberries. These are very flaky and are better eaten cold than heated, I think. In the winter, they make flat raisin cookies that are very similar to something my parents used to buy. I think they were called Sunshine Golden Raisin Biscuits in the ‘70s. These have a thin layer of hard white frosting on them, and are very good as well as satisfying my nostalgia.

As far as beer goes, they sell one of my favorite brands, which is still pretty hard to get: Aecht Schlenkerla Märzen, a rauchbier made in Bamberg. I used to live there, and I acquired a taste for this odd but delicious smoked beer.

There are both large indoor and outdoor seating areas. It’s pretty noisy inside, but you can sit in either seating area and...

My experience at Northside Social left me feeling disheartened and uncomfortable. The coffee shop is staffed by individuals who appear to have just exited the nightlife scene and are now entering their 30s. Many of the females sport excessive tattoos and piercings, adding to the impression of a group that may have prioritized personal expression over career development.

It's evident that many of the staff members seem burnt out, with an air of disillusionment and a sense of wasted potential hanging over them. Instead of a welcoming atmosphere, I encountered employees who seemed disinterested and unmotivated. Their demeanor reflected a lack of passion for their work and a sense of drifting through life without direction.

The overall vibe of the place mirrored the staff's disengagement. Despite the trendy decor and decent coffee, the ambiance was marred by an underlying sense of apathy and aimlessness. It's unfortunate that a coffee shop in such a prime location fails to capitalize on its potential due to uninspired staffing and a lack of genuine hospitality.

In conclusion, Northside Social fell short of expectations due to its lackluster service and atmosphere. For those seeking a more uplifting and enjoyable coffee experience, I would recommend exploring other options in the area that prioritize customer satisfaction and a positive...