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Rowan takes reins at Bartleby's Cafe
Customers who come to Bartleby’s Café, tucked below the offices at 70 Main Street, in Warrenton, sometimes mistake Carl Rowan for an employee.
The 32-year-old Rowan, whose features divulge his multi-ethnic background — Japanese, Taiwanese, Dutch, German and Irish, if you're curious — and who this day sports black Converse All-Stars, baggy khakis, a black Bartleby's t-shirt and straw fedora and a few tattoos, doesn’t mind.
As of mid-March, Rowan is the new owner of the Warrenton eatery. And his humility and joie de vivre, combined with his strong worth ethic and high standard for quality, might just be key to Bartleby's success.
“I want Bartleby’s to have the kind of atmosphere in which someone wearing a suit and tie or t-shirt and jeans can feel comfortable,” Rowan said.
Before settling into his new spot on Main Street, Rowan, who lives in Clifton, worked as the manager of sales at Rokom Ltd., in Fairfax, a digital document-imaging and management company.
“I had had it with sitting at a computer screen for 8-10 hours a day,” he said. “I was searching for an analog existence. Now I only check my e-mail about once week.”
Growing up, Rowan's parents always encouraged him to think for himself and trust his intuition. “I've always wanted to work for myself,” he said, recalling how at age 10 he hassled the local newspaper, until he was allowed to deliver newspapers, a job he continued through high school.
When he heard Ralph Nussbaumer might be selling Bartleby’s, he recalled the three years he enjoyed managing Dharma, a friend’s Fairfax coffee shop, in his early twenties and “jumped on the opportunity.
“ I thought it had great potential,” he said of Bartleby's, “But it wasn't working as a coffee shop or cafe. There was no clear-cut vision, no barista to handle the machine, or staff to handle the customers. The thrust was in keeping the place open, but without the mechanics.”
Rowan places significant value in using the industry's best practices ,and emphasizes his personal desire to hold his cafe to old-fashioned standards. “It's the time I put into making a BLT, or the milk I steam for a cappuccino,” he said. “I don't just want people to say this is good coffee. I want people to create a standard for the best coffee.”
Rowan, a dog lover, was also attracted to Bartleby's dog-friendly tradition. Nussbaumer named the cafe after his own dog, named after the character Bartleby in Herman Melville’s novella the “Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street.” Owners can attach their dogs to tie-ups outside while they enjoy a cup of coffee.
“I tell people that Bartleby’s is a place where dogs bring their pets,” said Rowan, who can sometimes be spotted at one of the outside patio tables with “Alexander the Great,” a 200-pound mastiff whose physique belies his gentle nature.
In regard to whether he's worried about the current state of the economy taking a toll on business, Rowan said “I'm a consumer myself, so it effects me like everyone else. But it’s my duty to not to make it a struggle when customers come to see me. People have enough to worry about. I'm not going to let them worry about coffee and cake.”
Rowan does worry about the quality of his coffee though. “I’m willing to take the Pepsi challenge,” he said with a grin. “Bartleby’s has the best coffee in town.”
The cafe offers a selection of espressos and drip coffee in addition to cold drinks. Rowan has continued to order from the same coffee company Nussbaumer used, the Williamsburg Coffee and Tea Co., which supplies organic certified coffee beans from Africa, Indonesia, and Latin America. “I'm fanatical about quality coffee,” he said, “the roast and grind, and how I brew it. I time my brews and re-brew constantly.”
Rowan also prides himself on Bartleby’s food, which ranges from traditional breakfast and lunch foods, such as pancakes and sausages, club sandwiches and homemade soups. He tries to limit his use of frozen food as much as possible, and refuses to serve previously frozen bread or vegetables.
Irene O'Brien, who worked as a cook at Warrenton Lanes for 30 years, prepares the food. “I think she’s fed half the men in this town,” Rowan said. “She’s indispensable for her knowledge and skill.”
Rowan has also added a few dishes from his Taiwanese grandmother’s recipes, including a pork rice bowl, and egg fried, pork fried and shrimp fried rice.
Rowan plans to renovate the interior and exterior of the café within the next six months. Architecturally, he said he’s going for “French countryside,” and plans to furnish and decorate the interior in wine and hunt country aesthetics.
“I want people to get a glimpse of me when they walk in here,” Rowan said. “I don’t claim to be the master of taste, but what I like, what is comfortable, I hope that’s in line with other people.”
The café is currently open for breakfast and lunch from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays. Rowan said that as the weather warms, he hopes to keep the doors open until later in the evening.
Bartleby's is located at 70 Main St, and can be reached at (540)-318-5735.
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