When Manhattan Sideways team visited the Harlem Art Café during the summer of 2017, we were given a full tour by the owner, Mahmut. He was kind enough to show us around the gallery, café, and basement workshop, introducing us to the many different facets of his business. In addition to running a cafe and selling works of art, he provides framing services, custom printing, and furniture and hosts frequent art shows. He is clearly a man of varied talents and interests: when asked why he offers such an array of services, he explained that, as a creative person, when a client comes to him, he finds a way to meet all of their needs. He has managed to dabble in and become a master of many trades in the process. “In a way, I had no choice but to be in art,” he confessed, since his two brothers are also artists and he feels that he was born into the art world.
The gallery was his main enterprise for much of his career, as it has been in Harlem since 1993 and in its location on 125th Street since 2006. Nevertheless, he had always envisioned having a space for people to enjoy artwork at their leisure while also indulging in a cup of high quality coffee and some snacks. He described his space as a “hangout place for the elite and artists of all kinds.” As a result, when he added the café to his existing gallery in November of 2016, it was the culmination of his vision for the business.
The space that combines the gallery and cafe is eye-catching. Pieces from local, national, and international artists line the walls and are stacked neatly throughout one half of the shop for visitors’ perusal. Mahmut even has some of his own art on display. The side that houses the café is painted in light greens and blues, which he selected because he felt they were “spiritual colors” that would foster a positive and relaxing atmosphere. An assortment of frozen yogurts and bubble teas are available, but Mahmut told us that the biggest attraction is his coffee - a claim that was backed by one of his customers, who took the time to tell us that she has been coming to the café for her daily coffee fix since it opened. Mahmut proudly revealed that he created the café’s menu after extensive research and taste-testing, since he was determined to provide a product that is “strong, smooth, and won’t give you heartburn.” He attributed his dedication to quality to the fact that he is from Turkey, “where they even have songs about coffee,” he joked.
Below the main floor of his store is the workshop, where he takes care of the framing and printing aspects of his business. The back wall is dominated by his impressive stock of materials, and the rest of the workshop houses the various machines and tools needed for framing. We were fascinated by Mahmut's demonstration of the program he uses to design and then create the custom mats for printing and framing projects.
We ended our visit by looking through the pictures of Mahmut's past art shows. He organizes these to expose local art and artists and advocate messages of unity, activism, and culture. His largest show was in 2011: It boasted over two thousand attendees and featured many talented musicians, performers, and artists from around the world. The show’s theme revolved around promoting peace among people from differing countries, and was meant to underscore how art can act as a means of transcending political disagreements and cultural barriers. Mahmut said that the people that come to his shows “expect to see uplifting things and historical art - art that tells a story.” When we stopped by, he was busy preparing for two shows, one of which would highlight the Latino community in Harlem and another that would feature the work of three local Harlem artists. He had no plans to take a break after these shows, however, as he was also looking forward to his new project - opening a room in the back of his shop that will display high-end, original artwork.
