Osama’s In Snowfall
Stephen Bybee
Columbia, MO
January, 2011
In 2011 Columbia enjoyed a long and snowy winter. The snows that year started in mid-January, and lingered, with varying degrees of intensity, until April. This photograph was taken in late January outside Osama’s Coffee Zone, at 11 North Ninth Street, just as a winter storm was sinking its icy teeth into central Missouri. Inside Osama’s Coffee Zone was a brightly lit display case containing pastries designed to accompany a strong cup of coffee, including their renowned baklava. This photograph contains a myriad of details that are almost lost to shadow…the profiles of the two figures walking north up Ninth Street, the snow-laden arms of the chairs on the sidewalk, the customer inside zipping up his coat as he gets ready to walk out into the snow, and the subtle movement of falling snowflakes against the dark edges of the brickwork surrounding the warm glow of the window looking onto Ninth Street. More than 100 years before this photo was taken, similar snowfalls blanketed Columbia, and similar scenes occurred outside this address on Ninth Street. In 1902, 11 North Ninth Street was home to the Columbia Kitchen, owned and operated by D.H. Sandifer. The Columbia Kitchen was a short order restaurant that proudly advertised “Meals and lunch at all hours…Open All Night”. 100 years before this scene unfolded on a snowy night outside Coffee Zone on North Ninth Street, a similar scene might have taken place outside the fogged windows of the Columbia Kitchen, as patrons enjoyed the warmth and atmosphere of an all-night restaurant, while warmly attired Columbians shuffled by on the snowy sidewalk outside.