There’s a little coffeehouse tucked into the heart of White Center’s Greenbridge neighborhood, a place White Center residents know as much more than a coffeehouse.  One year old this month, Dubsea Coffee has become a neighborhood institution, hosting regular community group meetings, schoolkids, fundraisers, monthly art shows, regular live music, open-mics, baby meet-ups, coffee tastings, and more.  In celebration, owner Sibelle Nguyen is debuting a photography exhibit this weekend entitled “The Road to Dubsea,” chronicling some of the moments that inspired her as she founded a business founded on the slogan “Give love, get love.”

Ever modest, Nguyen attributes her cafe’s success, and her own skills as a photographer, to the inspiration she gathers from those around her.  “There are bits of goodness, wisdom, and experience that have come my way, in many cases right when I needed them. Thanks to my family, friends, and strangers who have cared enough to pass on a good thing.” Her photographs encompass everything from landscapes to cityscapes, to regulars she’s gotten to know serving coffee and random moments she’s captured while traveling.  Each image or set of images in the exhibit is paired with a quotation she’s found informative or inspiring, and the effect of the marriage between image and printed insight is more than the sum of its parts.  Her ethos as a photographer, a business owner, and a community member shines through loud and clear.

Perhaps the most astonishing thing about Sibelle Nguyen’s artistry and success as a business owner; she’s doing it all while expecting her first child in just over a month, who she’s affectionately dubbed “Dubsea’s baby sister.”

Come out to Dubsea on Saturday November 20 between 7:00 and 9:00 pm to check out the art and celebrate the first birthday of a new White Center institution.

WHAT: Photography exhibit by Sibelle Nguyen celebrating the 1-year anniversary of Dubsea Coffee.

WHEN: Saturday, November 20, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.

WHERE: Dubsea Coffee, 9910 8th Ave SW, Seattle, 98106.

INFO: Visit the artist’s photography website and the Dubsea blog to view her photographs and samples of the words that inspire her, or call Dubsea at (206) 708-6806 for more info.