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Ex-Architect Builds Winning Combination Of Coffee, Churros In Stamford

STAMFORD, Conn. -- “I realized you have to make it work,'' said Leyla Dam, the effervescent founder of Lorca in Stamford.

Leyla Dam owns Lorca, an artisan coffee shop, in Stamford. She’s a fan of Ethiopian coffee and good sushi. In her spare time she enjoys geeking out on architecture.

Leyla Dam owns Lorca, an artisan coffee shop, in Stamford. She’s a fan of Ethiopian coffee and good sushi. In her spare time she enjoys geeking out on architecture.

Photo Credit: Contributed by Diane Pauley

After realizing a career in architecture wasn’t her cup of tea, Dam went back to her roots. Those roots were symbolized by a few good words: Spain. Churros. Coffee.

She opened her Stamford shop at 125 Bedford St. in the winter of 2012, and patrons love her product.

Dam wanted to open up a simple churro shop with a really good cup of coffee. But what makes Lorca unlike any other coffee shop in Stamford is the care to detail.

Dam credits this with having worked in coffee shops in both Brooklyn and Darien.

Her motto of “making it work” took hold when she realized she had to jump all in to her business; and connecting with local businesses helped Dam find her footing.

She fell in love with Stamford because it was a perfect launch spot. “Having grown up in Darien, this was like a second home,” Dam said.

Plus Dam invests in the youth. She looks for team members when hiring staff and seeks out those who can contribute to the overall product. Let’s just say that Gen Y is definitely attracted to niche spots like Lorca.

So what does the future look like for the coffee shop Stamford locals call home?

“There’s definitely possibility for growth,” noted Dam. She always thought Stamford was the perfect spot to have a flagship store.

Lorca is the epitome of what it’s like to “meet cool people and invest in a great product.”

For more information, visit the Lorca website or Facebook page.

Diane Pauley, the PostGrad Coach, resides in Stamford. Always a lover of people, she finally learned how to harness her art and do it for a living. She is now on a mission to help other millennials do the same -- build up their art and be their own boss full time -- at PostGradolescence.com.

 

 

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