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| The red roaster |
Coastal Coffee Roasters in Summerville is passionately dedicated to the idea of "transforming the best organically grown beans into the most amazing, freshly roasted coffee." To quote the owners, "We want our name to be synonymous with the best cup of coffee that you have ever tasted." But alas, I am not a coffee drinker. So, what is it that keeps bringing me back to the "red roaster" at 108 East 3rd North Street?
While offering the best when it comes to roasted coffee, there is much more brewing within the walls of this Summerville hot spot, but it is not something that can be put into a cup or a container and it permeates the atmosphere as distinctly as the freshly roasted beans that spill out from the oven chamber of its red Dietrich coffee roaster. You sense it when you first enter. You feel it as you mingle with the crowd. You see it while you sit at the hand-decorated tables. You hear it in the conversations of its most loyal patrons.
Coastal Coffee Roasters enthusiastically brews up a large batch of
community, actively devoting time and efforts to fostering its well-being and its growth. It does this by graciously opening its doors to other aspiring local entrepreneurs, affording them the opportunity and the space to promote their own products and services to CCR's loyal and growing customer base. The meals, snacks, appetizers and desserts are all prepared fresh in its own kitchen by local cooks and pastry chefs. To take the edge off a busy day or simply to kick-back and relax, local craft beers, such as Holy City, are available on tap and a full rack of hand-picked wines await your pleasure.
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| Wine rack |
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| Molly Durnin |
But, like everything in life there is a need for being balanced-all work and no play is not good for business. CCR's love for coffee is only rivaled by its love for music and fostering talent in the community is one of its strategies. Its coffeehouse has become a gathering place for aspiring local musicians and songwriters. Its open mic night on Thursdays has become a popular collaborative jam session where anyone who has the will and desire can uncase their acoustic guitars and sing a few songs from their repertoire. In addition, Friday night is owned by the Summerville band Busker with Dave Keller on lead guitar accompanied by a collection of his talented friends, and Saturday night tops off the entertainment schedule for the week, often reserved for visiting musicians and locally popular singers.
Like its owners, Coastal Coffee Roasters from the start has never been a body at rest. It is constantly in motion, continually developing. It has always been a work in progress. I have been a keen observer of the many metamorphic changes the coffeehouse has undergone since its early days to where it is today. Recently, its interior block walls have even become the medium on which aspiring young artists have been given the opportunity to work their creative talents. Despite the progression, two things have remained constant and I consider them trademarks-the hammock above the kitchen and the basketball net on the wall. Many times I have wanted to pick up a basketball and play a friendly game of hoops. I have always said, "Hanging out at Coastal Coffee Roasters is like hanging out in a dear friend's garage to share good times."
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| Wall mural in progress |
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| Brad and Jackie |
Finally, I could easily site all these things as the reasons that keep bringing me back to the home of the "red roaster", but that would not be entirely true. What keeps bringing me back time and time again is Brad and Jackie Mallett. They serve up as many hand shakes and hugs as they do cups of coffee. Coastal Coffee Roasters is a family, owned and run, and I am happy to be a part of the family.
Check out this weeks
schedule and entertainment.
Molly Durnin Friday, 7-10 pm.
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