Street Style: Meet Gizem Şalcıgil White of Turkish Coffee Lady
Gizem Şalcıgil White has always believed that coffee is more than a drink—it's a doorway. A doorway into culture, into conversation, into the kind of human connection that the modern world too often rushes past. Inside her King Street shop, Turkish Coffee Lady, that belief comes to life in every detail: the scent of coffee and homemade pastries hanging in the air, the unhurried pace, the strangers who leave feeling a little more like neighbors. It's exactly what she set out to build—one cup of coffee at a time.
Gizem grew up in Ankara, Türkiye, surrounded by architects, poets, artists, and politicians. She absorbed their knowledge, passion, and entrepreneurship and carried it with her—first to Los Angeles, then to Emerson College in Boston, where she studied nation branding and cultural diplomacy.
It was there she noticed something: few Americans knew much about Turkish culture, and even less knew anything about Turkish coffee. "Americans love their morning coffee, and I thought it could be a connection between two societies." So she started hosting Turkish coffee events on campus, creating space for conversation, culture, and community.
What began as a simple gathering became the seed of a lifelong mission.
Meet Gizem Şalcıgil White
Self-Styled
Shoot Location: Turkish Coffee Lady
Photography: Renée C. Gage
After graduation, Gizem moved to D.C. in 2009 to work at the Turkish Embassy, and became highly involved in the local Turkish American community. In 2012, she quit her job, raised $60,000, and launched a nonprofit and volunteer-led Turkish Coffee Truck initiative, traveling the country handing out 30,000 free cups of coffee before taking the truck through France, Belgium, and the Netherlands in 2013.
Then, on a stop in Canada in 2016 something clicked. "I was sampling coffee outside for free, but people were still buying coffee from a coffee kiosk," she says. "So I said, I should do this as a business, not as a volunteer project." She realized bridging cultures through Turkish coffee became her passion, and she wanted to build something special for her baby girl on the way.
In 2017, with a very limited budget, she managed to open her first brick-and-mortar location at Tysons Corner Center, the first ever authentic Turkish coffee shop in the U.S. It was a triumph, and a dream come true.
But then, just one month after the grand opening, with a four-month-old at home, she received news no one wants to hear. She had breast cancer.
She reluctantly returned to Türkiye for treatment, enduring months of chemotherapy and surgery. “My team kept the store up and running. Sometimes I couldn't even get up or speak on the phone, but the store survived with our community’s support.“
When she came back, she was ready to jump back in, but life had other plans. It was 2020, and COVID had just stopped the world.
"Everything just kind of fell apart," she says. "But I never thought about giving up on my cultural mission."
Rather than retreat, she pivoted with purpose. She launched the Turkish Coffee Lady Foundation: the world's first coffee diplomacy foundation (501c3), dedicated to empowering women entrepreneurs and fostering cross-cultural connection. Her determination to lift others up, even when she had every reason to accept help herself, caught the attention of the U.S. Government, and led to a significant grant in 2021 and gave her the chance to begin yet again. Through the foundation, she received official proclamations for World Turkish Coffee Day from the City of Alexandria, Washington DC, New York City, and beyond.
She started searching for the right space, and when her realtor friend suggested the King Street location, she almost talked herself out of it. But once she walked in, she knew it was the perfect place for her next chapter. In January 2022, Turkish Coffee Lady opened in the heart of Old Town with the support from the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership and has been thriving ever since.
Today, the shop is as much a cultural experience as it is a café. Guests can have their coffee fortune read, marvel at micro-art painted on surfaces as small as coffee beans, and simply exhale. "The world is moving so fast," Gizem says. "We're losing the rituals that help us slow down. I want to bring that back through our cultural home."
It's a mission that extends well beyond the shop's four walls. Through her non-profit foundation, Gizem continues to mentor young female entrepreneurs through a program called ‘She Brews Business” and fosters cross-cultural dialogue through collaborations with other local communities.. She lives out the philosophy she preaches, "We have limited time on this earth. I don't want to focus on negativity. I want to spread the good. Spread kindness, connection, and conversation through coffee, cuisine, music, and art."
She sees the world the way her culture house feels: full of beauty, full of possibility. "We're all like a mosaic—we come from different backgrounds, but together we create something unique and inspiring"
Gizem's story is one of resilience, reinvention, and radical warmth, and it’s far from over. If her track record is any indication, the best chapters are still ahead, with future events, a launch of the world’s first Iced Turkish coffee RTD to preserve a centuries old coffee heritage in a can while innovating for the future, and so much more in the works, we'll be watching eagerly to see what she brews up next with a warm cup of Turkish coffee in hand.
ABOUT GIZEM
Your neighborhood: Alexandria, VA
Your hometown: Ankara, Türkiye
What would surprise people about you? I am a breast cancer survivor
Favorite book or movie: Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
Guilty pleasure: Silky Mardin Turkish coffee with pistachio ice-cream
Latest binge-watch: Love Story - John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette
Bucket list travel destination: Singapore
STYLE
The go-to piece in your wardrobe: Shawl with Turkish motifs
Favorite trend: Iced Turkish coffee RTD
Beauty product you can’t live without: Lipstick
Boots, dress shoes or sneakers? Boots
WELLNESS
Go-to way to de-stress: Old Town Waterfront
Favorite way to stay active: Morning Walks
Wellness goal: Staying Emotionally & Mentally Resilient
Want to try: Protein Iced Turkish coffee RTD
Proudest wellness achievement: Producing World’s First Halal Iced Turkish coffee RTD with natural ingredients
HOME
Favorite room in your home: Kitchen & Living Room
Antiques, modern, or a mix? Mix
Last item you bought for your home: Candle set
Favorite way to entertain: Listening to Turkish music
Clutter-free or well-lived in? Well-lived in
Next planned purchase: Cherry-blossom themed dinner
ALEXANDRIA
What do you love about Alexandria Stylebook? Empowering Women Entrepreneurs
Favorite spot in Alexandria: Versailles Art Gallery
Your go-to shop: Current Boutique
Best food spot: Old House Cosmopolitan Grill
Favorite local organization(s): ALIVE for Alexandria
Annual Alexandria event you most look forward to: Christmas tree opening ceremony
What motto/quote do you live by? Brew Your Brave
