Cara McLaughlin Photography

Tucked in between houses on Buena Vista Street, is Commonplace Coffee. The second you walk in, you are welcomed by one of the baristas, Frank. The living room feel of the shop with the coffee grinds aroma welcomes each visitor the same; you are about to receive one of the best cups of coffee you will ever have in your life.

“We are called Commonplace for a reason, for many different reasons, but we are hoping that this is a commonplace for anybody; that anybody can walk in here and be engaged in our relationship [that we have with our customers],” Frank Battista says on how Commonplace Coffee is connected with the community. “I actually live around the corner from the shop so it kind of is a dream come true to start working with this company.”

This type of feel is at almost every locally owned coffee shop. Their main reasoning for running their business is to connect with the surrounding neighborhood.

Walking down Arlington Avenue, you wouldn’t expect such an exciting place like Black Forge Coffee House to be in that area. Once you walk in, you are welcomed by the possibility of live music being played or just by the local artist artwork hanging on the wall.

Ashley Corts, co-owner of Black Forge Coffee House gave information on suppliers. “Our biggest seller is our house blend that Zeke’s, the local roaster that we go through, [is] specifically for us and you can’t get it at any other coffee shop.”

“No matter where I travel or wherever i go, I always make sure that there is a coffee shop nearby that is local,” she continued.

“Commonplace Coffeehouse, they started, I think, in Indiana, PA, which is where I’m from. So, I [go] to that one all the time. I’ve been on 8 first dates at Commonplace,” Hannah Harley, senior photography major, recalls after learning of the Mexican War Streets location. “I think that coffee shops are really important especially in contemporary American society because it’s a nice place for students, creatives, people to just meet up and have a meeting of the minds over coffee.”

Nick Fischer, Point Park University freshman, says “[Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks consumers] are buying low quality coffee for the price of what they could be paying at a local place and getting high quality, so they’re really wasting their money and just feeding into it and they’re detracting from the people who are actually dedicated to it for a living.”

Constellation Coffee is placed snuggly between other shops on Penn Ave. The shop with a mix of antique and modern furniture gives customers the chance to enjoy a cup of coffee while completing work on a laptop or just reading a quick chapter of your favorite novel. After purchasing an iced latte, you can walk to the antique dresser where you’re greeted with flowers from a local flower shop for sale.

In an email interview, Amy Weiland of Constellation Coffee, expands on the locality of her business. “ The traditional reason, that it supports the local economy, is certainly true, it’s nice to spend money where you’ve earned your money. But more important to me is the sense of community you get from shopping smaller. For example, we have grab-and-go bouquets for sale by a local floral designer who goes by Gold Dust Floral.”

“I have to admit that it really can be difficult to make the switch from a corporate chain to something more local. We only have house made vanilla syrup, and some seasonal offerings in addition to a pretty minimal drink menu. I would say wherever you decide to go, keep an open mind, and speak up, because your barista is there to help you find something delicious,” she continued.

Every coffee drinker has had a quickly made frappuccino from any Starbucks they’ve encountered. But where is the locality of it? Most people have never seen or been to their local coffee shop. Being able to go to a local coffee shop supports not only the shop itself, but also the neighborhood itself.

Ashley Corts said “When it comes to local coffee shops, people think that it is a profitable business. It’s really not. It’s to support a neighborhood. It’s to support your community. Its to support people that want to enjoy the finer things and want to have a relationship with their local barista.”

Coffee shop locations:

Black Forge Coffee House: 1206 Arlington Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15210

Constellation Coffee: 4059 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15224

Commonplace Coffee Mexican War Street location: 1501 Buena Vista St. Pittsburgh, PA 15212

Photos of shops:

https://flic.kr/s/aHskyreVvR

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Local coffee shops: helping you have high quality coffee while building connections

Alysia Burton Steele