It might not be obvious, but the area near 40th and Spruce streets has recently become a little sweeter.
Cream and Sugar, a coffee and sweet shop, opened on Aug. 11. Spruce Street CD's had occupied the property for almost 20 years, and when it closed, Cream and Sugar owner Blythe Dim seized the opportunity to open her shop.
"I'd been knocking on doors for three years," Dim said of the search for a good location to start her business.
Cream and Sugar doesn't have neon signs or prominent sidewalk displays announcing its presence, but Dim said she hopes her shop makes its mark on the community with gourmet products and long hours.
More of a bakery than a coffee shop, the store sells everything from candy and ice cream to bagels and cannolis. Other items include homemade bagel spreads, dried fruits and nuts, cupcakes and giant cookies. A variety of coffee flavors is also available.
Everything in the store is produced locally, either on the premises or in Philadelphia.
"People are coming in and appreciating that it's a local community shop," Dim said.
Coming up with the name for her business was hardly an easy task.
"Picking a name for a store is something you put a lot of thought into," she said. "Cream and sugar are ingredients that most of the products in the store contain, so I thought the name made good sense."
Dim wants to serve both the neighborhood around Cream and Sugar and the Penn community; she pointed out that she is one of the few breakfast stops on Spruce Street.
"So far, we're really pleased at the community's reception," she said.
Cream and Sugar is open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and stays open until 1 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. Not only do the extra hours provide a greater, more convenient service for customers, but Dim said it also equips her with an extra selling point.
"Anything else in the community closes by 11. That's why we pushed back our weekend hours," she said.
Making their first trip to Cream and Sugar yesterday were first-year Penn Dental students Alyssa Nielubowicz and Laura Barunas.
They came, not looking to buy coffee or to satisfy their own sugar cravings, but for another sweet occasion.
"It's our friend's birthday, and we're just going in to check out their selection," Nielubowicz said.
The pair left the store satisfied with what they had seen.
"Yeah, we like it, and we've placed an order," said Barunas.
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