At a time when the world is dealing with a constant negative news cycle and social-media addiction, the need for “third spaces” could not be greater. Third spaces are social environments that are separate from home (first place) and work (second place), such as cafes, parks and libraries, and are essential for community-building. And Cozy Coffee Lounge (2580 S Main St) in South Salt Lake is the kind of functionable third space that owner Dzenef Beganovic felt the city needed.
Born in Berlin, Beganovic sought to make music—particularly house music—a key part of the coffee shop experience. “What inspired me to start Cozy Coffee was basically I wanted to bring a Berlin-style, European vibe to Salt Lake that was missing with the massive patio, house music, third-space, community connections in a weird area,” he said.
While this dream began over the course of a decade, it wasn’t until three years ago that Cozy Coffee Lounge opened. With Beganovic’s vision for an alternative coffee shop in a less-developed area of the city, there were hurdles to overcome when facing local bureaucracy. He was first turned down to lease the building seven years ago when he was only 21 years old, but then, in 2023, he saw the building again and wouldn’t take no for an answer.
True to his design, the shop’s dual identity as a standard coffee shop on weekdays and a vibrant event space on weekends encourages social interaction. “Come to a coffee shop Monday through Friday, come catch up with a friend Saturday or Sunday, but with a twist,” Beganovic explained. “There’s always going to be a twist on the weekends because put your laptop away, put your homework away. This is the real world. Have some fun with it.”
Music on the patio has been part of the shop where five car groups and a DJ brought a thousand people for its grand opening. Every weekend since, there have been different music events. For example, last month Cozy Coffee hosted a Galentine’s Day party featuring DJs Kainani Clark (Instagram: @aloha_kainani) and Julie Hull (Instagram: @ishtarra21). Not only were roses given to attendees, but the entire 2,000-square-foot patio space was beautifully decorated in red and pink roses, balloons and banners with a special Valentine’s setup in an igloo—perfect for photo ops with the gals.
This month was the inaugural Cozy Coffee Run Club. The all-ages event started at 9 a.m. on a Sunday and included a group run to Satori Yoga with a live house DJ playing decks on wheels. Cozy Coffee paid for an optional free meditation/hot yoga class for participants to reset and rewind. There was a $50 gift card for the first runner back, and then a raffle with free protein pancakes and oat milk being served.
Beyond these events, Cozy Coffee offers something even more unique for Salt Lake City: Arabian Nights. Their resident belly dancer Wendy Melendez (Instagram: @arabiandancer.wendy) brings music and culture on scheduled evenings, which is something that no other coffee shop in the city really does.
“Diversity is our biggest thing that we’re trying to showcase this year,” Beganovic said. “You go to some coffee shops and it attracts only a certain group or only a certain clientele, which at Cozy Coffee, you would never know there’s a belly dancer here until you came in.”
The commitment Cozy Coffee has to diversity and inclusion continues this month with their upcoming end-of-Ramadan celebration featuring an old employee of Cozy Coffee and “Arab Hijabi DJ & MC” DJ Nour (Instagram: @3arabeatz) on Saturday, March 21. Along with that event, attendees can also try a Dubai Matcha or Date Latte from their special Ramadan Menu this month.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, Cozy Coffee gives out free black tea and dates to break fast for the Muslim community, and their drive-through location Cozy Coffee 2 Go (435 S. 400 West)—situated across from Fourth Street Clinic—has a Ramadan charity initiative.
“During Ramadan, we’re giving back to the community at the drive-through that if you can’t afford a cup of coffee, just swing by and grab one without any questions asked,” Beganovic added.
Cozy Coffee is truly setting a new standard for local businesses in Salt Lake City with its European-style house music patio, its diversity and inclusion, as well as its commitment to fostering community and socializing as a third space gathering. It’s somewhere at which you can find music and dancing every weekend.
Check them out Mondays-Thursdays 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Fridays 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturdays 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sundays 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Follow the Instagram profile @cozycoffeeslc for event updates.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.cityweekly.net ’
