Black-owned Coffee Shops: Part 3 Covers Five More
Uncle Bobbie's Coffee and Books: Cozy Combination
Uncle Bobbie's Coffee & Books resides at 5445 Germantown Ave in Philadelphia, PA—the heart of the Germantown section of Philadelphia. The motto on their website reads: "Cool People. Dope Books. Great Coffee." That's all you really need to know about this cozy place, which has become a community anchor in Philly. Its doors are closed right now, but you can still support the spot by buying books (both hard copies and audio) and apparel. [KA]
Marc Lamont Hill founded this cozy shop in 2017 to provide underserved communities with access to books and a space where everyone feels valued. When they reopen after Covid, Uncle Bobbie’s will offer their specially curated book selection, sell high-quality coffee, cover a variety of food products, and add apparel and children's games. They’re also a community space that holds free author talks, workshops, and other events, such as weekly story time for kids and back to school drives. For example, on January 18, 2021, they covered a 4th annual “Radical MLK Symposium.” It featured a community conversation with shop owner Hill, who also teaches media studies and urban education at Temple University. Uncle Bobbie’s menu is simple, but food is tasty by all reports. It includes bagels, an assortment of danishes and croissants from Au Fournil, vegan cookies & brownies from Crust Vegan Bakery, and sweet potato pie, as well as chips, oatmeal, and yogurt.
Uncle Bobbie’s was hit hard by Covid-19, which caused them to shut their doors in March of 2020 (moving to online sales for books and merchandise). Fortunately, three members of their staff were able to raise about $97,000 through a Go Fund Me campaign that has enabled them to help laid-off staff, pay vendors (many of which are small businesses), and pay other bills, such as rent and insurance. This cash infusion has brought them through, and management has just posted new 2021 hours on Instagram:
Tue-Fri 9:30am-3:30pm Sat 9:30am-5:30pm Sun 9:30am-3:30pm
Beyu Caffe: Upbeat bohemian hangout offers coffee and more
Beyu (pronounced be-you) Caffe offers coffee, all-day American fare, a cozy full bar, live jazz, and free WiFi from their home at 341 West Main Street in Durham, North Carolina. From their website, I learned Dorian Bolden founded Beyu Caffe in December 2009 to be the ultimate community gathering place where everyone could “be you.” The name and idea stems from Dorian’s lifelong experiences in various social and cultural settings whereby he believes that we all have more commonalities than we do differences. He also says if you believe in yourself and your talents, the universe will handle everything else. Ultimately, you simply need to be true to yourself and be you.
Their story starts in 2008 with friends and community members helping Dorian develop Beyu Caffe's signature coffee blend. He called it “Heart & Soul” because one of the participants noted the coffee was so smooth and delicious it touched her very heart and soul. Ten years later, this blend remains a favorite in the community. Dorian began by selling coffee beans from his home. He told everyone about his dream and vision to open Beyu Caffe while beginning his entrepreneurial journey: doing research, writing a business plan, and seeking investors.
By 2012, Beyu Caffe was garnering regional recognition as a music venue. They were featured in several news publications and on television. In December 2014, they celebrated their 5th birthday. But the boom in downtown Durham had caused rent prices to jump, so Beyu needed to find a new home in order to avoid closure. They underwent a $1.2 million commercial development, with strong community support, to discover their present location in May 2016.
In 2018 Beyu Caffe branched out and expanded to Duke University—the owner’s alma mater—by opening Beyu Blue Coffee in honor of the Duke Blue Devils. Beyu Blue Coffee is a grab-and-go concept specializing in premium coffee and excellent specialty espresso drinks.
At the start of 2019, Beyu Caffe made the difficult decision to say good-bye to its live music operation, so they could focus on their coffee and restaurant operations, as well as delivery. They later expanded to include Beyu Catering. Today Beyu Caffe, Beyu Blue Coffee, and Beyu Catering comprise their total operations.
I’m guessing Beyu Caffe’s menu will amaze you. It’s definitely the most extensive I’ve seen in a coffee shop of any description. Besides a full coffee-drink selection, they serve a number of excellent wines and a variety of spirits (mixed drinks), and beer. Their food menu includes breakfast specialties (served all day), such as challah and sweet potato french toast, plus full breakfasts accompanied by grits or home fries.
Their lunch and dinner menu is equally distinguished, with excellent sandwiches and a couple headliners for which I’d return often: (1) Jazzy Shrimp & Grits: grilled jumbo shrimp and Italian sausage over polenta grits with a lobster cream sauce, topped with Parmesan shavings; (2) Catfish & Grits: Your choice of fried or pan-seared catfish served on a bed of polenta grits with asparagus and a chipotle cream sauce, topped with crispy fried spinach.
Rise and Grind Café: Coffee and a Cozy Community Feeling
This shop on North Doctor M.L.K. Jr Dr in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, offers hot and cold sandwiches, soups, and breakfast items—plus catering and meal-planning services. Owners Baboonie Tatum and Larina Hightower say Rise & Grind Café’s regular customers come for the sense of community and family feel the café offers. On Saturdays, during brunch, the café operates as a pop-up shop for local entrepreneurs and creatives. Starting with a small shop selling just coffee and pastries, the owners have expanded their operation into a full restaurant serving their customers with love.
Covid-19 pressures have created significant challenges for this two-year-old business and its co-owners (opened February 2018). Ms. Hightower told reporter Claudia Delgadillo at Urban Milwaukee.com they were losing money in March 2020 and thinking of ways to stay financially afloat. Hightower said they were working on further ways to bring in revenue so they could sustain their staff and customer base. For example, they were offering healthy home-cooked meals to families who might not have been able to get to the grocery store properly as a way of keeping their staff solvent. [CD]
After some months trying to do takeout and outside dining at their King Drive location, on July 27, 2020, the owners posted this temporary closure notice on their Facebook page:
“Good morning R & G Family! We are here to announce our decision to temporarily close our King Drive location. As our vision broadened and demands have grown, we decided to step back, regroup, remodel, and overall revamp our King Drive location. They invited customers to go instead to their Sherman Phoenix location at West Fond Du Lac Ave, with hours Tues-Fri 7am-6pm and Sat 9am- 3pm.
Ms. Hightower says she and Ms. Tatum are ready if another emergency health situation hits their business. They have structures in place now to do deliveries and other operations that can carry over into regular service to the community. In this vein a New Year notice on their Facebook page (January 1, 2021) includes an encouraging note: “We’re excited about a new year and new adventures on King Drive! More information coming soon and thank you for your support at our Sherman Phoenix location! Keep Rising & Grinding Milwaukee!” [RB]
Manager Nikeisha Riseling says Rise & Grind is special because everyone is welcome there and the food is amazing, especially the Saturday Brunch. Strong positive reviews at Yelp.com and TripAdvisor.com agree, so if you’re in Milwaukee, get on over to one of their two cool locations!
Urban Grind Coffee House: Covers Atlanta with Panache
This hip coffeehouse covers Atlanta, Georgia, with great coffee, a cafe menu, and free WiFi. When not dealing with a pandemic, they also hold film screenings, poetry slams, and other arty events.
From Urban Grind’s website, we learn they were established in 2007, in Atlanta’s West Midtown, with true coffeehouse culture in mind. Comfortable seating, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, and the delicate taste of loose-leaf herbal tea make it an inviting space during the day. People come in to study, work on projects, discuss startup ideas, and meet with friends over coffee. By night, Urban Grind hosts art exhibits, poetry events, discussion groups, and more.
Urban Grind is more than coffee; it’s a culture and a community. Their open microphone nights are like a workout room where artists can learn new ways to express themselves and perfect their craft. The shop attracts creatives of all kinds, so they have weekly open mic nights for comedy, music, and spoken word or poetry. Of course, because of covid-19, Urban Grind isn’t hosting events in their coffee shop. But they are running Open Mic Poetry live through Instagram, Thursdays at 7:30pm Eastern standard time.
Their menu includes specialty coffees, panini sandwiches, cakes, and pastries. Because of covid-19, they’re now open daily from 8:30am-6pm weekdays and 9-6pm on weekends. But masks are required anywhere in the shop, and their dining room hosts no more than 10 patrons at a time. If you prefer, you can call in your order for pickup. Urban Grind also delivers fresh-roasted coffee beans to your door, office, or new home office through DoorDash and GrubHub. Call ahead for pickup, 404-724-0605 or order online. The owners bid you be safe and #KeepGrinding
Culture Coffee Too: Cozy coffee shop and much more
This beautiful space in Washington, DC is a coffee shop, art gallery, live performance venue, and event place, with a mission to bring delicious coffee and diverse culture to the DC community. According to their website page, owner Veronica Cooper has opened Coffee Culture Too for limited hours during covid-19: 10:00-2:00 Wed-Thurs, 10:00-3:00 Fri-Sun. The shop is closed Monday and Tuesday.
From their website, I found Culture Coffee Too is a staple of the Riggs Park neighborhood in Washington, DC. After opening their doors in 2017, they quickly emerged as a place of leisure and refreshment, community and socialization, and recreation and entertainment. Their stated goal is to provide a diverse and exceptional cultural experience to all who step through their doors. They entreat the public to enjoy all they have to offer and to follow their social media accounts for frequent updates about events and much more!
Their menu features an array of delicious made-to-order brewed coffee choices. In addition, they offer breakfast to help you get your day started right, and lunch and dinner items so you can end it on a high note. They also host an in-store selection of products from local vendors. With products ranging from skin care to fashion accessories, they have something in store for all.
Coffee Culture Too is a beautifully funky store with great artwork on the walls, excellent fresh coffee, and a welcoming vibe. Owner Veronica Cooper hosts various events at the shop. For example, their Open Mic Night features poetry readings and occasional musical events. Their largest undertaking is The Variety Show, which according to a post from Lisa Robinson on Coffee Culture Too’s Facebook page, is a great event in a cozy environment. Ms. Robinson says: “The Variety Show kicks off every LAST Saturday of the month. We welcome old and new talented people who can sing dance SPIT POETRY and more. Cost is only 5 bucks for this event. For further info about the Variety Show follow us on YouTube at Raisin Da bottom Productions.”
Meanwhile, if you want to keep your coffee and tea hot (and who doesn’t?), drop by our website at www.koffeekompanions.com and check out our Koffee Kozee™ French press cozy, Kup Kap™ cup cover, Tea Tabard™ tea cozy, and Kup Kollar™ takeout coffee cup cozy. Also check out our Kream Kollar™ ice cream pint cozy. We’ve been taking coffee and tea drinkers (and ice cream eaters) to their cozy places since 1996!
Resources
Kelly Allen, “20 Black-Owned Coffee Shops You Can Visit Anywhere In The Country,” http://bit.ly/2OOWiMZ (June 16, 2020) [KA]
Rod Burks, “Rise & Grind Café serving up more than just coffee,” http://bit.ly/3u3TbRb (April 14, 2020) [RB]
Claudia Delgadillo, “Neighborhood Businesses Barely Surviving,” http://bit.ly/2NbyAK4, UrbanMilwaukee.com (March 20, 2020). [CD]
“409 Black Coffee Houses and Cafes in the U.S.” http://bit.ly/2ppZCl3 (May 3, 2018) [BSJ]
Lauren Rearick, “Black-Owned Coffee Shops to Try While Starbucks Is Closed,” http://bit.ly/2pc1Pkd (May 29, 2018) [LR]
Note: Also check out the shops’ Facebook pages and websites for up-to-date postings and current information about covid-19 limitations and accommodations.