Oracle Online

“We never have any problems here and we get along great,” Bollman chuckled. “Except for the fact that he’s an Ethiopian republican and I’m a red-necked democrat.”

Rendezvous Coffee, owned by Darwit Jida and his wife Senait Kifle, is a new addition to the growing number of Ethiopian-owned businesses in the area. A recent influx of African immigrants to the Twin Cities makes places like Rendezvous popular to newcomers that simply want to relax and feel at home.

A total of 11,708 legal immigrants came to Minnesota in 2004, the second highest in the past 25 years according to data released by the Department of Homeland Security. 728 of those immigrants were from Ethiopia. The Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area ranks third in total African immigrants following Washington, D.C. and New York, NY.

“In Ethiopia, it’s very common for people to get together after school or work and get coffee,” said Kifle. “Rendezvous was the name of a coffee shop back home. For some people it brings back memories. It’s not just a business; it’s a place for the community.”

The story of coffee actually has its beginnings in Ethiopia, the original home of the coffee plant, coffee arabica, which still grows wild in the forest of the highlands. These trees blossomed in an area called Kaffa, which may as well be the root word for coffee. Legend has it that a goatherd in Ethiopia discovered coffee when he observed his animals frolicking with extra energy once they’d nibbled on the leaves and berries of the plant. The goatherd tried some of the red arabica coffee berries and felt a similar burst of energy.

Since it’s opening in November, Rendezvous has obtained a wide customer base. Some afternoons it’s like a game of musical chairs trying to find a place to sit.

“The coffee [there] is actually very good,” said Nebiyu Elias, a regular customer who used to own a coffee farm in Ethiopia. “There are only three kinds of coffee I drink and one is from this place.”

Jida and Kifle moved to Minnesota fifteen years ago to be closer to family. They said they couldn’t be happier to share their space with Bollman and his customers. “His customers are our customers too,” said Kifle. “The most beautiful things happen here; we have a great time,” added Jida. “[Ted] feels like my dad.” Their relationship may be close, but Jida admitted that he’s still never let Bollman cut his hair.

Curly’s is one of the few places in town where a haircut costs almost as much as a cup of coffee. Bollman, a St. Paul lifer, has been cutting hair since 1954, and the modest prices, ranging from eight to nine dollars a cut, keep ‘em coming despite the usual wait in line. His faithful customers, some whose hair he’s cut for over fifty years, trickle in throughout the day and sit with he and Jida immersed by a constantly-flowing stream of conversation.

Everyone seems to know each other as they walk through the door, and if the don’t, it’s not long before Bollman or Jida welcomes them like part of the family. Both men’s outgoing personalities compliment one another, which never leaves for a dull moment.

Rendezvous, like the name implies, has not only become the place where East meets West, but the place where people meet people. Conventional boundaries and stereotypes are left at the door. The only problem is fighting to have a conversation over the debonair tune of African flute music and the buzz of barber shop shears.