Two projectors broadcast the news along the bright blue walls of the Creative Café @ Replica. Replica Creative — a printing business with a flagship location in Rittenhouse Square — is opening its second location in the Science Center on 37th and Market streets on Dec. 2, merging its printing services with a cafe.
“We were looking at Starbucks for designers in Center City without the coffee,” Replica CEO Keith Leaphart said. “Here we added the coffee.”
The cafe, which will have seating for about 20 people, will serve “comfort foods” from Di Bruno Brothers, including sandwiches, wraps and pastries. Leaphart added that the cafe will encourage new customers to move from the coffee counter to the brand ambassador stations in the back to take advantage of their printing services.
“They’re going to come in for the coffee side and the comforts, and they’re going to be converted into a Replica customer,” Leaphart said.
Beyond the cafe is a separate area that will house the “brand ambassador,” who helps customers with their printing needs, at the front counter of the printing area. Designers will be in the back of the space, and printing machinery will be on a lower level. The cafe’s walls will also feature a unique Replica offering — temporary, damage-free wallpaper. The wallpaper on one of the cafe walls will be a copy of Replica’s media kit.
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The Creative Café @ Replica will also spin off of the “Replica After Dark” monthly event series at the Rittenhouse Square location. In this series, Replica partners with an artist or photographer to showcase his or her work to anywhere from 75 to 150 people at a cocktail reception in the store.
The Creative Café @ Replica plans to host its own late-night events such as game nights, movie nights and concerts for live bands.
“We’re a big idea company, and we want like-minded people to be in the space,” Leaphart added.
Once the space opens, one lucky individual will win a free month of coffee. On Nov. 11, Replica launched its “Creative Combo” contest, which asks individuals to submit a photo or Vine of their most creative combination of any two materials through Twitter, which will run through Nov. 29. The winner, to be announced when the store opens, will receive a month of free coffee and a “winner’s package” of items from Replica’s promotional partners.
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Replica was a strictly a printing company when Leaphart bought the business four years ago. Since then, the company transitioned into print and design firm, with a focus on building relationships with customers, instead of being purely “transactional.”
“We want to be a place where you want to hang out and want to be,” he said. “We brand ourselves the hub of creativity.”
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