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Le Café Market

Jaewoo Lee, owner

Metro station right out front? Check. Bike lane nearby? Check. Walkable urban village? Check. Metrobus and ART routes out front? Check, check. No parking lot, but no problem getting to this very accessible sandwich/coffee shop. Le Café Market offers sandwiches, wraps, bowls, bubble tea/coffee and essential groceries. Jaewoo Lee, owner of Le Café Market, remembers the exact day he came to the US 40 years ago. With nearly as many years experience in running convenience stores, he continued to look for the perfect location. In 2020, his dream came true when this location became available in Virginia Square. He’s still learning the neighborhood, but he’s confident about the secret to success. At the root of his business is customer service. “Without good service, you’re nothing. You have to know what it means to offer quality service,” says Lee. This is evident in a story he shared about an UberEats driver who picked up an order. Intrigued with the food and service, the driver later returned by Metro to order a sandwich. Which one? It was likely the turkey avocado, one of their best sellers. Since then the Uber driver has returned numerous times from DC, ironically without a car!

Photo: Jaewoo Lee, OwnerOpening during COVID-19 is a tough business decision, but stellar customer service (he boasts a 4.7 star Yelp rating) has helped Lee thus far. And he’s up for the challenge stating he’s willing to gamble since he feels he has something to offer the community through his cafe. Being located near public transit, walking and biking options has also helped customers get to his location car free. Lee adds he feels safe and connected to the neighborhood. With the Virginia Square Metro directly at his front door, Lee benefits from the residual foot traffic. It’s also convenient for his five employees. One takes the Metro, another walks and another likes to bike as much as he can to work.

Le Café Market
901 N. Nelson St. #103
Arlington, VA 22203
Go car free to Le Café Market.


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110 Trail
145
14th Street Bridge
417
Arlington Mill Trail
52
Ballston Connector
0
Bluemont Connector
39
CC Connector
126
Clarendon EB bike lane
78
Custis Bon Air Park
144
Custis Rosslyn
291
Eads NB
29
Eads SB
44
Fairfax EB bike lane
30
Fairfax WB
35
Joyce St NB
16
Joyce St SB
0
Key Bridge East
316
Key Bridge West
278
Military NB bike lane
6
Military SB bike lane
8
MVT Airport South
318
Quincy NB bike lane
27
Quincy SB bike lane
27
Roosevelt Bridge
118
Rosslyn Bikeometer
0
TR Island Bridge
186
WOD Bon Air Park
0
WOD Bon Air West
0
WOD Columbia Pike
48
Wilson WB bike lane
63

Peds counted

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110 Trail
155
14th Street Bridge
0
Arlington Mill Trail
670
Ballston Connector
0
Bluemont Connector
949
CC Connector
492
Custis Bon Air Park
475
Custis Rosslyn
446
Eads NB
0
Eads SB
0
Fairfax WB
0
Joyce St NB
59
Joyce St SB
0
Key Bridge East
1897
Key Bridge West
579
MVT Airport South
311
Roosevelt Bridge
173
TR Island Bridge
872
WOD Bon Air Park
0
WOD Bon Air West
0
WOD Columbia Pike
463

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