Just as countless HGTV shows are always on us about the importance of curb appeal when trying to sell a property, so retail businesses can attract customers by a simple upgrade or makeover to their exterior.
Take Araras Coffee & More, a Brazilian café and food store in White Plains. This jewel of a general store had never particularly caught the Westfair Business Journal’s eye, despite our folks having passed it hundreds of times in the 11 years it has been open. But the addition of sidewalk tables and chairs for summer, along with some gorgeous greenery has transformed the exterior, making us want to step inside.
We’re glad we did. Araras —which means “macaws” in Portuguese—is co-owned and run by friends Marina Cardozo and Celina Bredemann, who first worked together at the now defunct Alo Brasil café in White Plains, where Bredemann was manager. When Alo Brasil shuttered in 2012, the two stayed in touched. They felt the community lacked “a Brazilian space” and Cardozo, who is originally from Paraguay, especially missed Alo Brasil’s strong coffee. When a first-floor site in the apartment building where Cardozo lived became vacant, the two decided to “go it alone.”
“It was the time of the 2014 World Cup (hosted by Brazil),” Cardozo reminisced. “We had the courage to open the store. We didn’t know if it was going to work, but we went ahead anyway. It was like a dream for us and we’ve worked hard at it for 11 years, and we’re happy.”
Along with traditional Brazilian pastels and pudims and other typical homemade sweet and savory snacks, Araras serves as a specialty grocer selling a large variety of goods, including bijo rice, beans, juices, exotic frozen fruits and vegetables and guaraná sodas. The store also stocks household goods and Brazilian beauty products, which “makes people feel at home.”
“We try to get the best and have a little bit of everything,”Cardozo said, “and we always listen to our customers and what they ask about.” The result is that Araras stocks Brazilian products “you can’t find anywhere else.”
That said, Cardozo pointed out that while merchandise was sourced with Brazilians in mind, cusotmers were divided around 50/50 between Brazilians and other nationalities.
As for its all-important coffee, the “house” brand is Tres Pontes coffee from Minas Gerais in southeastern Brazil, crafted from 100% pure Brazilian Arabica beans, with distincitve dark chocolate and caramel-y notes.
Covid, Cardozo said, was surprisingly good for business, as early-on they embraced a comprehensive delivery service. Indeed, she said, Araras expanded during the pandemic, building out the shop and providing space for dozens more products.
Asked about the eye-catching outdoor seating and greenery, Cardozo said it was necessary to apply for a permit from White Plains each year, with this year’s license running from April to November. When asked if it was easy to work with the city, Cardozo hesitated before answering slowly, “Yes…it….is,” drawing out the word “is,” but adding that White Plains was a “super-safe” city in which to run a business, which made all the bureaucracy worthwhile. (The Journal expressed the hope that when the permit expired, at least the attractive plants, if sufficiently hardy, would remain.)
Cardozo said she felt that White Plains was a very good place to work generally, adding that a lot of police officers and firefighters regularly stop by.
“We know everybody in the city,” she added with a smile.
