Lovettsville’s Hidden Gems (part 1)

East Broadway is the perceived main street through Lovettsville. Traffic runs quickly on Broadway, and most of it has been widened with a nice sidewalk installed on the north side. But, in a way, the real heart of the town is one street over.

When I first moved to Lovettsville, I thought Pennsylvania avenue was an alley. It is one of the oldest streets in town, originally connecting Frye Court and Berlin Turnpike. It is narrow and not VDOTS best work when it comes to repairs.

Pennsylvania Avenue now starts at Andy’s restaurant and ends at S Locust Street at the back door of the 1856 Pub. In a few months, Pennsylvania Avenue will extend beyond S Locust Street back to Frye court, which is the original connection.

Between Fry Court and S Church Street, there are some businesses you should be frequenting. A few you may not know are even there. Andys and the 1856 Pub bookend Lovettsville’s hidden gems of Pennsylvania Avenue.

In a public survey conducted in conjunction with the 2016 Comprehensive Plan update, a coffee house ranked high on the types of business Lovettsvillians wanted to have in town. The thinking was a Starbucks or Dunkins would do well.

If you want a quick cup of coffee or a milkshake or soy latte, do you have to leave town? The answer is no. It amazes me how many people in Lovettsville do not realize there is a coffee shop on Pennsylvania Avenue, within sight of the town hall.

Back Street Brews Coffee & Tea House has been opened for nearly a year and a half and is already THE place where the town movers and shakers meet. Its ideal location is within a 10 to 15-minute walk for nearly 3/4 of town. (but there is parking in rear).

Sharing half of a former duplex with The Painted Pig gift shop, Backstreet Brews oozes small-town charm. Owner Maureen Morris serves her customers with a smile from behind a counter that can also include yummy baked goods like muffins and cookies.

I have been to Back Street Brews a half dozen times or so and have zeroed in on the hot chocolate (winter) and milkshake (summer) as my anchor drinks, always accompanied by a muffin. The quality of this Shoppe’s fare is honestly without peer.

Facebook reviewers give it five stars out of five, as did Yelp. Why don’t more people know about it? Simple, its strongest asset, its location, is also its liability. Very few people randomly drive down Pennsylvania Ave to stumble onto it.

Small-town, local coffee shops and cafés are full of so much character and personality and this is no exception. Morris truly cares about her customers on a more personal level than you would get at a coffee chain shop. 

If you have not taken your family to Back Street Brews Coffee & Tea House, you are missing out on low hanging fruit. An entirely family friendly place to meet friends and neighbors. Backstreet Brews has precisely the small-town feel that you would expect in a town that begins with LOVE!