Aromas, with its Picasso-like red-and-gold logo, at first appears to be another in a long line of hip, new coffee bars from America, poised to take its place among other heavyweight "contenders" in the ongoing race to unseat Starbucks.
That would be partially true, except in this case, there are no corporations, franchises or big bucks to help stare down the competition. Everything, including the Soho loftlike ceilings and the menu's retro graphics came from one young man with some hot ideas -- and a great sense of smell.
Mitsuteru Kubokawa, 29, is a quiet type who doesn't come across as someone who's planning to build an empire. Then again, the young Bill Gates didn't look like much of a threat, either.