panache ← Twin brothers Michael (left) and Matthew Nazareth call their shop a “creative space for art, music, studying, networking and community” and for people of various backgrounds, origins and income levels.
CITIZENS OF STYLE
HIP TO EVERY SIP
Twin brothers bring style, culture and creativity to their coffee and kava bar by TEAGHAN SKULSZKI
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ou see Matthew Nazareth sitting on a sofa and jamming on a guitar. Behind him, you may see Michael Nazareth serving drinks and creating conversations. This is Serenity Culture Company as it appeared before late March, when the coronavirus pandemic forced a temporary halt to drink-in and eat-in services at Florida establishments. It’s a coffee and
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May–June 2020
kava bar where the 23-year-old brothers think they’ve found their niche. “Business model-wise, coffee has not changed since its genesis,” Michael Nazareth said. “We wanted to innovate that. We had to take tradition, light it on fire and stomp it into the ground and say, ‘What if we did this differently?’” Matthew and Michael Nazareth call their shop a “creative space for art, music,
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studying, networking and community.” They thereby see Serenity as a cultural gathering place that brews acceptance, understanding and change. Here in Railroad Square, Serenity serves coffee, tea, kava, kratom, kombucha and various juices to people of various backgrounds, origins and income levels in conversation and mutual learning. Born in Orlando to a mother from Alaska and a father who grew up in Tanzania, the brothers come from a family of “inclusive, accepting people,” Michael said, and they found themselves constantly exposed to different cultures, communities and people. Michael recalled his grandmother, who lived in Tanzania. She was Catholic, and Muslim children would go to her house and break fast for Ramadan. “It was an environment with so much division,” he said, “but she was able to bring people together.” Each brother sports a hip vintage look that starts with conspicuous black hair. From there, the twins take style in different directions, from various places. “I love bringing different cultures into my style,” Michael said, “and merging style by doing different things in one look.” He said he also loves “the challenge of looking good on a low budget.” Vintage fashion reflects the brothers’ values including sustainability, comfort and meaning. Matthew described vintage as “the nostalgia comforting our generation.” He said he thinks vintage allows us “to grasp to the people we love, helping us take that part of their life wherever we go.” He uses vintage clothing to establish a look that some might call “sweet grunge.” “Alternative earth tones with a modernminimalistic twist,” he said. His staple pieces include suspenders and multi-functional boots, for work in the shop or to complete his rustic look. The brothers expressed the importance of their look in a business context.
photography by ALICIA OSBORNE