R!WC is on a quasi-holiday until Season 4 drops in February 2022, but I didn’t feel right leaving you completely coffee content free. Check out this weeks show where we brush up on the different waves of coffee as we revisit the very last episode of S1.
On the list of coffee businesses I had planned on having on the Roast! West Coast podcast someday was the team behind Young Hickory, a coffee and beer concept in the North Park neighborhood of San Diego. You may have heard of North Park. It is very hip and cool and generally the neighborhood people hear about outside the beach communities.
I remember when they first opened. I thought, “Coffee and beer? I wanted to do that!” Which is true. I had almost opened a coffee and beer concept cafe about a year earlier…but…I didn’t, and they did. It was a cool place. The kind of corner cafe that becomes part of the fabric of a community.
Unfortunately, Young Hickory is closing. They released the letter below on their Facebook page.
OUR DEAREST FRIENDS,
Since September 20, 2013 we have had the pleasure of serving you two of our favorite things: Coffee and Beer. Of course, our time together has been so much more than just those things. We’ve witnessed relationships blossom, seen countless friends come and go, watched families grow together, and formed forever bonds with people that we truly cherish.
Being a part of this community has been incredible in many ways, and a blessing on so many levels. Through the ups and downs, we’ve been through it all – together. But, as you surely know by now, all things must come to an end.
This month we will be ceasing our operations at Young Hickory. To put it simply, the pandemic has affected us in such a real and fiscal manner that operating is no longer sustainable for us. We survived the circumstances as long as we possibly could, fighting tooth and nail the whole way. Despite our best efforts, the time has come for us to move on…
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Yes, this is a very tough time for us, and for many others in our city, state, country, and world. Here are some actual things you can do if you want to help us (and other businesses like ours that continue to struggle through this new reality):
Stop by for one more cup of coffee, one more bite to eat, one more beer. We want to share these last few precious moments with you, and serve you one more time before we go.
Be extra generous to our staff. This is a difficult situation, and they will appreciate it so much. They are all very special people.
Buy a shirt (or two, or three). Grab a hat or a mug (or both). These things are now collectors items.
Now is the time to use that Young Hickory gift card that you got for Christmas.
Tell your friends we’re going to be gone soon so we can serve them one more time (or even for the first time).
THANK YOU
There’s nowhere near enough space to thank every person that has helped make Young Hickory a neighborhood staple for the past 8+ years. If you’ve walked through our doors, that’s you. You know who you are. To each and every one of you, from the bottom of our hearts: THANK YOU.
See you soon,
Clay
Owner, @younghickorysd
That’s a good list. It sucks to see a small business close their doors. It sucks more because I know that when they were writing their business plan, brainstorming ideas, and trying to see all the angles it would have never crossed their mind to be prepared for a heretofore unknown virus that passes from person-to-person through the air that would decimate the hospitality economy for two years (and counting), kill 855,000 Americans (and counting), and obliterate any plans they had made.
I keep wondering how many more are on the same precipice wondering how much longer they can hold on. How many will feel relief if the decision is made? The past 18 months have been exhausting.
I’ll be stopping by Young Hickory in the next few days to enjoy a cup of coffee and appreciate that there are risk takers in the world willing to put it on the line to offer up a cup of coffee, a beer, an experience.
OTHER COFFEE STUFF
Starbucks is requiring vaccinations for all 228,000 of their U.S.-based employees or be tested weekly at the employees expense. Read it on NBC7.
Shout out to Jacob at Kiln Coffee Bar in Grand Junction, Colorado. We had two great experiences there and I’ve been really enjoying this bag of Colombia El Tambo I picked up there. The snow in the background isn’t local to San Diego despite the chilly temperatures.
You know what’s cool? Supporting your favorite coffee podcast is cool. Thanks for subscribing to the free or paid version of this newsletter and for listening to the show. I’m stoked to be interviewing a bunch of new coffee pros in S4 including the founders/roasters of Ultreya Coffee & Tea, Ascend Roasters, Declination Coffee, Goose Bear Coffee, Caldwell Coffee, Luckie Coffee, Elliott & Murrey Coffee, Storymakers Coffee, and Ignite Coffee Company!
ROAST! INDUSTRY PARTNERS
CAFÉ LaTERRE has launched Donut Wednesdays, as if we needed more motivation to get a cup of coffee. Donuts from local favorite VG donuts in Cardiff, CA.
Starting Friday January 7th you’ll be able to order coffee and food for takeout from Leap Coffee’s location in Sabre Springs.
Want to get Coffee Smarter with Chris O’Brien of Coffee Cycle Roasting? Tickets to coffee education classes, as referenced in today’s podcast, are on sale now. Spots are limited. Proof of Vaccination required.
Thanks to the the Roast! Industry Legacy Partners. Click these links. Drink their coffees (and whiskey).
Zumbar Coffee & Tea • First Light Coffee Whiskey • Leap Coffee • Steady State Roasting • CAFÉ LaTERRE • Mostra Coffee • Cape Horn Coffee Importers • Marea Coffee • Coffee Cycle • Camp Coffee Company
Listen to the show on these platforms!
APPLE PODCASTS • SPOTIFY • ANCHOR.FM • GOOGLE PODCASTS • AMAZON MUSIC • THE COAST NEWS • TUNEIN RADIO • I HEART RADIO • POCKETCASTS • BREAKER • RADIO PUBLIC • OVERCAST • YOUTUBE • STITCHER
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Roast! West Coast Classics Volume 4