Davenport & Winkleperry

This place is great! I honestly don’t know how they have a viable business plan, but I love it. It seems like «Steampunk Coffee Shop Art Gallery Bar» is such a niche market, but they seem to make it work.
We’ve stopped in D&W for impromptu coffee as well as impromptu drinks, and enjoyed it every time. They have a bookshelf of books from which customers can freely borrow (and stock), with a good selection of the sort of books you’d expect.
The staff are all graduates of Professor Elemental’s Cool Coffee Shop Employee Etiquette course, by the look of them. You may have to get their attention, but once you have it, you’ll get good advice on when to come, what’s happening, and what’s good. Wear clothing appropriate to the venue and you’ll get quicker service.
Check their site to see what events are taking place! We went on Gaming Night to enjoy some board games, some cards, and some good drinks, but we got there too late for anything but the drinks.

Holy Hell is this place weird.
When walked in, the first thing we saw was a guy in a gas mask standing really closed to a «scantily clad» girl, and it looked like they were filming and/​or photographing something?
The purple-​haired proprieter informed us that it was «members only», and vigorously discouraged us from consummating a membership at that moment, saying you had to do it on their website (though she did later concede it was only three bucks).
We thought about joining on our phones, then coming back and saying, «Look! We’re members!» But we were clearly f’ing up their gas mask fetish operation…

I, too, am confused about what exactly this place is. I had gone to their website and read about them via the Siler City-​Pittsboro Convention Bureau on Foursquare and was excited to visit for perhaps a coffee and pastry in the mid-​afternoon on one of my days off or maybe a cocktail later in the evening sometime.
I went on a Thursday around six-​ish, planning on doing a bit of writing and enjoying a coffee that could turn into a martini later a la Caffe Driade, where I’ve spent plenty of time lazing about with a latte around five that turned into a couple glasses of wine with friends around eight.
I walked into what looked like a small art gallery of some sort and saw the café in the back of the place, where there sat a small group of women who seemed to be having a meeting of some sort. They all stared at me and awkwardly, I continued towards them (not knowing at this point if the place was even actually open, despite what the outdoor sign had told me). The owner got up and went behind the counter and I ordered a latte, which she made me and she was very kind, but not forthcoming with any information regarding the place (not that I had asked, in fairness.) She handed me my drink, which was in a to-​go cup, so I scrapped my plans of writing right then and there and proceeded to awkwardly head on out.
Really cool looking place, all in all, but far from inviting. Pittsboro is a SMALL town, so perhaps when the owner doesn’t recognize a face, she should volunteer some information regarding her business – even just asking some questions would be helpful – here or to go? have you been here before? etc. Not in a chain restaurant kind of way, but it’s an odd sort of place, which I generally like, and I just wanted to know more about it, but felt very uncomfortable asking when the entire place is empty save for a meeting of people who seem to be staring you down behind your back.
All told, I would love to come back, maybe later at night when it’s more of a bar? Not sure… While I don’t want to feel like I’m interviewing the owner, I do want to know more about the place, its history, and its desired niche in the small community of Pittsboro.

A major let down. :(After reading up about this place on their website and the reviews here I have to conclude what I experienced was something else entirely. I was looking for Steampunk type and vintage clothing after reading they carried items like this. Maybe a corset, anything dress-​up but found nothing. There was a room with some artwork and then a backroom for coffee but other than that it was very underwhelming.
Maybe these items only show up around Halloween but steampunk is a way of life not just for a cheesy party. Also found the help quite lacking. I asked about clothing and the guy walk past me and said I have to refill my drink. Finally the girl said I could try this thrift store around the corner. Yeah, I don’t think Alfred Dunner is gonna cut it.
I felt mislead and think they need to update their website. Do not make a special trip to Pittsboro for this.

I had been planning a visit here for quite a while. I love vintage clothes and the creativity of steampunk fashion.
I didn’t realize they also served coffee. We wanted to walk back where the coffee shop area was and noticed the member’s only sign (whimsically painted on a giant mustache… Tee hee!). I felt hesitant to ask the girl who worked there because she seemed to be in a bad mood and did not even greet us when we walked in the store. (very bad Victorian manners!).
The cabaret events they offer look fun and exciting! So hopefully we will catch them again on a better day.

Great place, hidden off the main street which makes it all the more interesting! Live music, good coffee and a funky little Tim Burton meets punk vibe. This is a great find!

Love Davenport and Winkleperry. The store is just absolutely awesome with really neat shirts, clothing, dolls, and just all around amazingness. If you’re a steampunk fan, you HAVE to check this place out.
They have really cool art shows and occasionally steampunk dances in the back area, both of which are a lot of fun. Emma (Emmett for the Clockwork Cabaret listeners!) is always really friendly and helpful.
If you’ll be anywhere near Pittsboro and you like steampunk, art, or just really neat things you might not have seen before, I recommend checking this place out.
Also, Nancy, the woman who does the clothing… her stuff is AMAZING. If you need a costume, she has really fair prices and seems really into helping the people find what they want. I’m still trying to decide what type of corset I want her to make… but her price for a custom-​made corset? Out of this world amazing. She seems to understand not everyone who wants one can afford to spend 500−1k on a corset, and this makes her even more awesome.

A fun, funky store, well worth the trip out to Pittsboro (make sure to stop and get a milkshake at S&T Soda!)
Emma and Nancy are super-​friendly and will help you find an unusual gift, piece of clothing, or piece of art for any occasion. Nancy also does awesome custom clothing jobs and is more than willing to work with you on one of a kind pieces. She just finished up my Dragon*Con costume and I couldn’t be happier!
Anyhow, if you love steampunk or even if you don’t know what it is, it is absolutely worth stopping by here to browse and chat. Score another plus for the local scene!