A peek inside at Wednesday's popular open mic night at Chloe's Coffee.
The local coffee shop has been open for three years and open mic nights have been an important part of business plan.
“We took over of Chloe’s Coffee five months ago, and open mic night was already huge here,” said owner Jay Faraque. “We feature open mic nights here because there is so much talent around this area.”
In addition to open mic nights, Chloe’s also displays artwork of a different local artist every month.
“Art is very important to this community,” explained Faraque. “There is a lot of talent.”
Musicians line up to play their songs on Wednesday nights.
“Wednesday was the open mic night before we took over. It was already established and remains the most popular night,” said Faraque.
Faraque said that business can be slow all day on a Wednesday, and then when it gets to be around the 8 p.m. start time, the cozy coffee shop fills up as people buy their cups of coffee or maybe a beer, two of the more popular items on during open mic nights.
Due to the huge success on Wednesdays, Faraque decided to add another jam session on Thursday nights as well.
“Thursdays are a little more relaxed and less crowded,” admitted Faraque.
Chloe’s has an interesting vibe. On the small side, its feels reminiscent of a coffee shop in New York City, like a mini-version of Central Perk from the sitcom “Friends.” With people scattered around the available space, enjoying a drink or hookah, the music fills the establishment to provide entertainment or background music for a conversation. The crowd is definitely a younger demographic. Most of the performers and those in attendance are in their mid-20s with some older audience members occasionally sprinkled in.
During the open mic nights, the next artist remains a mystery until their performance. There are a wide variety of genres played throughout the night: from more experimental music to folk, acapella and even some hip-hop.
Trevor Ring, 22 and a Gaithersburg resident, has been to Chloe’s more than once.
“[Chloe’s] is very close to where we live,” said Ring. “It’s not like other open mic nights. Sometimes they get dominated by older performers and they play the older classics.”
Ring thinks the younger crowd makes it easier to play. “You kind of expect somebody in the crowd to like what you played. It makes it more welcoming,” he said.
Although everyone does their own thing when they step up to the microphone, they all have one thing in common: Whether they are performing in front of their friends, strangers or an open room, everyone has a passion for music and uses Chloe’s to share with anyone who wants to listen.