There are a few reasons you might stop at Creative Grounds, opening in Bloomingdale later this month. It might be to grab a coffee and take advantage of the Wi-Fi. It might be to browse the art from local artists on the walls. Or it might be to take take in a class on drawing or photography.

“I typically say, ‘However one chooses to express themselves artistically, I want to give them the space to do it,'” says co-owner Asmara Sium, who is opening the cafe-meets-art space with her husband, Kenn Blagburn. While not an artist herself, Sium is the former chair of an advisory committee at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. While there, she says she learned just how tough development and gentrification have been on local artists looking for space to make and show their work.

“This was a few years ago, and since then we’ve seen a tremendous increase in a lot of these hybrid spaces,” she says. The studio-slash-daycare Artist Mother Studio, the new community garden-slash-artist residency the Nicholson Project, and the class space-slash-gallery the Lemon Collective are among such hybrid spaces.

During the day, Creative Grounds will sling coffee from Silver Spring roastery Nagadi Coffee, as well as espresso drinks and tea. Plans for a food menu—which, like Sium’s family, will likely be vegetarian—are still in the works. Sium plans to honor her Eritrean heritage by performing a traditional coffee ceremony semi-regularly.

After hours, Sium plans to host classes, mainly in the basement-level studio. “I’m on the hunt for teachers that know their craft,” she says, adding that makeup artists, web developers, and photographers have already contacted her about hosting classes. Most offerings will be multi-session courses spread over several weeks, rather than one-off classes, in subjects that she hopes will include clay work, drawing, web design, and gardening (that one would take place out in the cafe’s garden).

Sium is most excited about classes and events for kids. “Every time we talk to other parents, they’re basically going to upper Northwest or to Virginia for activities [for kids],” she says. She’s created a slate of programming for kids that includes creative writing, drawing, collage, painting, and even art theory. Courses will end, she says, with a mini art show of the kids’ work.

In addition, the spare, white-walled cafe on the main level will host rotating exhibits from local artists. It’s also available for events.

“I want everyone to feel welcomed,” Sium says of her cafe. “I know that sounds kind of cheesy, but it’s true.”

Creative Grounds opens at 1822 North Capitol St. NW on Nov. 23. Hours Monday-Thursday 7 a.m.-8 p.m., Friday-Saturday 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m.-7 p.m.