It’s a place to sip a cappuccino, enjoy a biscotti, then pick up brie and a bottle of wine for the evening.
Dagny’s Spirits, which opened in Naples in April, is a combination coffeehouse, wine bar, and liquor store. Co-owner Kate Keillor came up with the concept after more than 30 years in the corporate world.
“There isn’t any immediate competition in the area for either a coffeehouse or a liquor store,” she said. “And there’s certainly not the combo.”
Keillor, who is part Norwegian, named the business after the Norwegian word for “new day.” The name, she said, also pays homage to Dagny Taggart, the female protagonist in Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged.”
Inside Dagny’s, visitors relax at outdoor tables or in a sunlit lounge area while they flip through copies of Wine Enthusiast or TIME near wine barrel tables stamped with “Chateau Ste. Michelle.” They chat with friends over wine by the glass, log onto free Wi-Fi, or visit a bar with Concordia self-serve coffee machines and a variety of teas.
Dagny’s Spirits offers lounge areas where people can sip wine, coffee, and enjoy pastries. (Photo: Lindsay Downey/Coastal Life )
“People seem to really like it,” Keillor said of the atmosphere. “The décor I think makes it feel comfortable when they come in and that’s important.”
Greta and Don Corcoran of Naples sipped coffees during their second visit to Dagny’s on a recent morning. They’ve brought friends to the lounge, and enjoy it for its quiet atmosphere and iced coffees that Don said are “addicting.”
“Our friends are really coffee snobs and they said the coffee’s good,” Greta said. “They gave it a thumbs up.”
The back area of Dagny’s is a full liquor store, with a few types of meat — such as Boar’s Head prosciutto and salami — and cheeses ranging from Castello’s Danish Blue to Il Villagio’s Parmigiano Reggiano for sale.
“We’re competitive with Publix as far as cheese prices,” Keillor said. “I made sure we were in line.”
Keillor is working to get the word out about Dagny’s with special events such as a painting night, wine tastings, live music, book signings and more.
“The concept is a little bit foreign to people so we’re trying to communicate the coffee side of it,” she said.
If you go
• What: Dagny’s Spirits
• Where: Pebblebrooke Center, 15205 Collier Blvd., Naples
• Info: 384-9241