In the late 2000s through mid-2010s, there were thriving blogging communities in Pittsburgh and Washington DC / Northern Virginia and I imagine other places as well. While there were various in-person events (such as happy hours and blogger nights at grand openings for venues), there were also online directories and groups for bloggers and guest blogger exchanges. Through these online activities, I got to meet some really cool people though rarely in person with a few brief exceptions. I met Nicolas of Pittsburgh Sports and Mini Ponies fame at a Penguins-Islanders game and had brunch with Heidi of The Steel Trap and John of Ya Jagoff!
One of the people I got to know over the years is Josh of Josh's World. Josh is one of the few people from over a decade ago who still maintains a blog, but we also participate in multiple fantasy sports leagues and Oscar pools together. Plus, Josh is always up for participating in any of my silly predictions blog posts. Despite being Facebook friends, we never actually met in person.
Last month, Josh announced that he bought a restaurant. Although I don't think there will be a movie about this starring Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson, this was very exciting news, and I was and am very happy for Josh.
With spring break approaching, I decided that I wanted to support Josh and visit his restaurant. I also wanted to attend a Penguins game and buy some cheap T-shirts in the Strip District, so I took a road trip to Johnstown and Pittsburgh with The Moose (now 15!!) and Luigi.
We got on the road a little later than I wanted thanks to some type of blade in my tire and the time it took for the repair. Because of this, we didn’t arrive at the Corner Coffee Shoppe until after 2:00. About a half-mile before the restaurant, we passed a Long John Silver's. I love this chain, and since there are no franchises near me, I briefly considered stopping there instead. But no. We were on a mission!
Corner Coffee Shoppe is located in the corner of the Bel Air Plaza. The shopping center also has a Dollar General, Japanese restaurant, an escape room, and more but there's a big vacant spot in the middle in what might have been a Value City based on my 45 seconds of internet research. The restaurant itself is unassuming from the outside but is very cool once you go in. There’s an old-fashioned diner counter set up on the right part of the restaurant, and booths and tables for the rest.
Although I sent a message to Josh a few days before letting him know that I planned on visiting, I didn’t give him an exact day or time of when we would arrive. Not that we were invited to the festivities, but we missed the new ownership ribbon-cutting ceremony. Josh made the news!
The crowd from that event died down by the time we arrived, and I didn't see Josh when we were seated. I was actually a little nervous about meeting him. I was basically showing up at his job somewhat unannounced. I wanted to say hi, but I didn't want to bother him. After we got drinks, I saw Josh go back and forth between the kitchen and a table where he was eating with his family. I definitely didn't want to interrupt that. Maybe 15 minutes later and when we were finishing our meal, Josh walked towards the front of the restaurant by our table and I introduced him to my two kids with me and we talked for a few minutes. It was a fairly brief conversation since Josh was heading out, and again, he was with his family and already had a full and eventful day. Still, it was cool meeting him in person and checking out his restaurant. The food was good (I need to get dessert next time!) and very reasonably priced. Plus, I love the placemats highlighting local businesses. More places need to have this.
Once things settle down for Josh, I'd love to interview him about the experience of owning a restaurant. In the meantime, if you're in or around Johnstown, please support Josh and enjoy a meal at Corner Coffee Shoppe!
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