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Rare Bird Coffee Roasters has turned its Falls Church café into more than a place for coffee. After nine years in the city, its walls have become such a sought-after showcase for local artists that exhibitions are already booked through 2028—and new applicants may wait until 2030.

The café at 230 W. Broad St. presents four featured exhibitions each year in two spacious, sunlit rooms. Each show remains on view for three months, giving artists time to reach customers who might not ordinarily visit a gallery.

Between those exhibitions, Rare Bird displays work from schools, nonprofit organizations and artist collectives. The Arlington Artists Alliance occupied the space before its current show, landscape painter Lisa Green’s “Wild Spaces.”

Green’s exhibition, which runs through Jan. 11, explores meadows, mountains and coastlines through shifting light, texture and open space. Some paintings depict familiar regional landmarks, including Great Falls and the Potomac River. An opening event is scheduled for Nov. 1 from 2 to 4 p.m.

Café co-founder Lara Berenji said most participating artists apply through a submission form on Rare Bird’s website. Aside from roughly the first four exhibitors, the featured artists have come through that process.

“I wish I had more space on our walls so we could have more artists,” Berenji said.

Coffee and art share the same mission

Rare Bird marked its ninth anniversary in Falls Church City on Oct. 4. Berenji said art has remained central to the business because she views roasting coffee, baking and preparing drinks as creative crafts themselves.

With an artistic background of her own, she wanted Rare Bird to offer an approachable setting where anyone could encounter artwork without wondering whether they belonged in the space or were qualified to judge it.

Berenji works primarily in charcoal and clay sculpture when time permits, although running the business leaves little room for larger personal projects. She instead finds small creative outlets by painting café windows or making wood-burned signs for wholesale customers.

She has no plans to reserve Rare Bird’s gallery for her own work.

“I’d rather see other people’s work,” she said. “I just enjoy creating when I can.”

The focus on local artists also gives customers an immediate connection to the subjects they see. Paintings of places such as Great Falls and the Potomac can prompt visitors to recognize landscapes from their own lives.

Berenji described the arrangement as mutually beneficial: artists gain exposure, customers experience original work and the café becomes a more engaging destination.

She also praised the broader Falls Church arts community, pointing to Falls Church Arts, Studios at 307 and the city’s practice of commissioning artists to decorate utility boxes.

Discarded cups become “Second Chance Plants”

Rare Bird’s support for art and conservation extends beyond its exhibitions. Starter plants sit in chipped mugs, bowls, cups and other containers that can no longer be used for café service.

The idea emerged after the café’s plants began growing and dividing just as damaged vessels started accumulating. Rather than discard either, Rare Bird paired them and named the result “Second Chance Plants.”

Half the proceeds from their sale go to the American Bird Conservancy.

The café also maintains a permanent display of small ceramic coffee and tea pieces made by Haruko Greenberg, owner of Pottery Nomad. Rare Bird commissioned Greenberg to produce a particular mug style that complements both her work and the café’s identity.

Some of the pieces bear her logo, and some use clay sourced from the region, North Carolina or elsewhere in Virginia. Berenji said the ceramics reinforce Rare Bird’s connection between coffee, art, gift-giving and community.

Coordinating rotating displays takes work, she acknowledged. Businesses must find artists, schedule installations and ensure the walls remain filled. Still, she believes original art brings joy and interest while attracting customers.

“If it’s possible for a business to do it, they should do it,” Berenji said.

Other Bird Bakery planned for Westover

Rare Bird’s next venture will carry its creative approach into Westover, but it will not be another Rare Bird café.

The owners plan to open Other Bird Bakery, a bread-focused business next to Village Sweet Bakery. Berenji said Village Sweet helped Rare Bird get started by supplying baked goods before the café established its own bakery.

Other Bird Bakery is intended to complement its neighbor by concentrating on bread, though coffee will also be served.

The new location is expected to include some art space, but it will be more limited than Rare Bird’s gallery. Berenji said the final arrangement remains uncertain because the project has not completed the permitting process.

Despite the effort required to stage more than four exhibitions annually, Berenji said the program has become indispensable to Rare Bird.

“It’s a little bit of a challenge,” she said. “But not enough to ever hold me back. I would never put that aside. I will always make time for it.”