In the Neighborhood: COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE
The recent opening of Coffee Coffee Coffee definitely made the Old Brooklyn community happy, happy, happy. Not only is the shop a stop for coffee, but it’s also the home of bikes and half priced books. “My goal has been to own a few different coffee shops, in a few different neighborhoods, that were more than just coffee,” says Trey Kirchoff, owner of Coffee Coffee Coffee.
Community Collaboration
Once Trey signed the lease for the shop last June, he decided the space was too big for just coffee. He started reaching out to friends of his who had different businesses. Ryan Chamberlain responded about half priced books, and Berto Huertas and Mason Adkins reached back out about bicycles. Coffee Coffee Coffee now has 900 books on its shelves, and is roommates with Sixth City Cycles.
Over the winter, Trey, Berto and Mason saved thousands of dollars by building everything in the store themselves. They ripped up floors, painted, and built the business with their hands. Trey described their hard work as “sweat equity”. The end result: a welcoming space for the coexisting businesses, with a treehouse aesthetic vibe.
Sourcing Local Ingredients for the Shop
Almost everything at the coffee shop is made from local ingredients. They sell mouthwatering sandwiches from Herb’n Twine, pastries from Sweet Teeth Confections, gluten and vegan free items from Philomena Bake Shop, and jams, syrups, and spices from The Home Pantry – to name a few. “Now it’s up to us to use those things to make the best product, and to use ourselves to offer the best experience,” says Trey.
The fun doesn’t stop at the food. Next time you drop in, try something outside of your comfort zone. They’ve recently started making espres-sodas. It’s soda water with housemade rhubarb or strawberry syrup. Then they float a little cloud of espresso over it. Trey describes it as “a very strange, but delicious adult beverage”. On the other hand, a classic of the store is the rocketfuel drink. It’s a half and half of chocolate milk and their 24-hour cold brew concentrate. Warning, it’s sweet so you may end up drinking it fast and getting really wired; but that’s a good thing when you need to get a lot of work done.
It’s The Little Things That Complete The Experience
If you order your coffee to stay, you may get the chance to be entertained by one of their many unique mugs. “I’m a real nerd for coffee mugs,” says Trey. “I’m always looking for them.” People will even occasionally bring him mugs that they find. Before they opened, the Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation (OBCDC) brought him a box of Old Brooklyn mugs from 1989 that were passed out during opening day.
In addition to mugs, Trey is into miniatures and gets tiny items to hide around the shop. You can find mini dinosaurs, or coffee mugs laying around if you look closely enough. The goofy personality of the store makes stopping in an exceptional experience. “I’m trying to approach specialty coffee in a casual environment,” says Trey.
Becoming Part of the Neighborhood
Since Coffee Coffee Coffee opened, Trey has had people come in everyday thanking him for taking a chance on the neighborhood. “Both the people who have been here, and the people who are just arriving seem to be very excited and optimistic about what the future holds for the neighborhood,” he says.
Not only is the community welcoming the new addition to Old Brooklyn, but they’re even making their own requests for orders. As a customer walked in, holding a cup of Honey Hut ice cream, Trey immediately knew they wanted him to pour espresso over the ice cream to make an affogato. “This is the kind of community we have here.”
