VALDOSTA —
Have you ever wished you had a nice, relaxing place to hang out and drink coffee like Rachel, Chandler and the rest of the “Friends” gang?
That’s the vibe you get when you enter Valdosta’s brand new wine and coffee house, Stage 51.
Stage 51 is located in Baytree Plaza, directly across from Valdosta Stadium Cinemas and has been open nearly three weeks.
Owned by business partners Diane Fate and Stephanie Bell, the quiet, relaxing restaurant serves not only a variety of coffees, wines and beers, they serve sandwiches, appetizers, and other pastries.
“I’ve always been interested in coffee and, as I’ve grown older, I developed a taste for wine,” Fate said.
Stage 51 has stages. Out front, customers can relax in a sofa, chairs, or at the bar. Or customers can visit the back room.
“On the weekend we have people come in and play the guitar,” Bell said.
“We call it the gathering room,” Fate said. “We want it to be a welcoming place and have all the comforts of home. Eat, study, they make themselves at home. We invite everybody together. We’ve started calling it ‘Our House’ because of the ‘Friends’ and ‘Cheers’ atmosphere.”
Q: How did you come up with the idea for Stage 51?
A: (Fate) “It’s something that my husband and I talked about for a long time, doing when we retired. We didn’t expect to do it so quickly. The opportunity was there and we jumped on it.”
Q: Where did the name come from?
A: (Fate) “Stage 51. I think we all go through life stages and this is my life stage at 51. It’s not so much my age, but my stage at 51. I’m ready to slow down, drink coffee with my friends and have a glass of wine in the evening.”
Q: What do you think is more popular here, the coffee or the wine?
A: (Fate) “Actually, I’d say our most popular item is a Rabbi sandwich. Our food is extremely popular. We have a breakfast, lunch and after-4 menu. We named it after a rabbi that came to visit us one day and we created a sandwich for him.”
A: (Bell) “It’s a mozzarella, tomato and a little bit of pesto.”
A: (Fate) “He came in and he wanted something without meat ... So we created something especially for him. It’s our best seller. People come in and ask for the rabbi.”
Q: What different kinds of wine do you have?
A: (Fate) “We have six house wines. They are very reasonably priced. Every one that has had it so far has been very complimentary of our choices. We have Riesling, Chardonnay, Merlot, and one we’re really excited about having here, Malbec. I don’t know of anybody else around here that offers that. We’re excited. Most places you go to have a red or white house wine and I’ve never seen one that offers as many as we do.”
Q: What is your vision for this place? Any future plans?
A: (Fate) “We’d like for this to be a gathering place. We’re not looking for the bar scene. Just a quiet, homey place for people to unwind before they go home, or a place for people to wind up before they go to work. Most people come in here now, that have been in a few times, say it’s like coming home. They just kind of make themselves at home.”
Stage 51
Location: Baytree Plaza
1575 Baytree Road
Valdosta, Ga.
Phone: (229) 241-9766
Hours: Monday - Thursday: 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday & Saturday: 6:30 a.m. to 12 a.m.
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Related Photos
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Stephanie Bell, left, and Diane Fate, owners of Stage 51 Coffee & Wine House, sit at one of the many tables in the cozy restaurant. Karah-Leigh Hancock
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Stage 51 Coffee & Wine House is located in Baytree Plaza at 1575 Baytree Road. Karah-Leigh Hancock
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