Vivace founder, David Schomer is a coffee prophet

By Melissa Allison
Seattle Times business reporter

A few feet into a dark corridor alongside Espresso Vivace's walk-up coffee bar on Broadway East, visitors come upon The Sacred Shrine of Caffeina, Goddess of the Waking Day.

The goddess is painted on a rock embedded in the wall where Caffeina "visited upon the lonely globe the gift known as Java," according to a maudlin tale in small type by the shrine.

The shrine is an apt symbol for the espresso Mecca that Vivace and its founder, David Schomer, have become to coffee connoisseurs and baristas around the world. While Seattle-based Starbucks brings high-quality coffee to the masses, Seattle native Schomer is determined to perfect the beverage on a smaller scale for true believers.

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