By TR Robertson
New Coffee Bar/Shops are either opening or already open all around the City of Vista. Each one is unique in its own way and provides a large selection of hot and cold coffees, teas, and other drinks as well as a selection of pastry items. One new shop simply changed owners and name, with the former Archers Coffee on Main Street now a James Coffee Company location, one of five in San Diego County. James Coffee began in a humble beginning with beans roasted in a friend’s mechanic’s garage in 2014. James Coffee is quickly becoming a go-to location in the downtown area. Also, the recent addition of Dutch Brothers and Better Buzz has spurred a resurgence of coffee venues in Vista.
Open not too long ago is a new concept for a community-based venue located at 802 S Santa Fe Drive, called The Commons, the former Walgreens location. This large 10,000 sq. ft. facility is now the home of Ascend Coffee Roasters, one of two locations for owner Erin Harper. The other location is at 3231 Camino De Loc Coches in La Costa. Erin has been working with and around coffee houses since age 17. The beans are roasted at her La Costa location. On her website she says, “Quality-first sourcing the highest quality beans on the world’s market while simultaneously supporting ethical farming villages is our priority.” Ascend offers not only a wide range of coffee flavors, such as Caramel Brulé, Brown Sugar Macchiato, and Honey Vanilla Latte, but also various teas and smoothies. Bags of ground coffee are also sold. They offer a variety of breakfast choices, like different breakfast burritos, breakfast tacos, and bagels. They also offer lunch items such as panni’s, wraps and toasts. The coffee shop is open from 7 am – 5 pm Monday thru Saturday. Tables and chairs are in The Commons, as well as a small play area for younger children and an outside patio area both along the street side and in back of The Commons.
Their location in The Commons is but a small part of what is offered in The Commons. This large venue is available for weddings, receptions, birthdays, anniversaries and any other large group gathering. The idea behind The Commons is to provide a community-oriented event center and a community-driven environment. They do this with partnerships and collaboration with other agencies for their services. Event planners are available to assist, go to www.csevenues.com or call 760-509-1008. On Sundays, New Community Church uses the facility for their church service at 10 am. For the church a small trailer is in the facility serving coffee to the congregation. The church also uses the facility for other church related functions when needed, such as the Newcom Youth group meeting on Thursdays from 6:30-8:30 pm for grades 6-12 young people. Along with all of this, The Relationship Resource, a professional counseling center, provides counseling services for individuals, couples and families. The Relationship Resource also provides workshops, events and other resources. This counseling center was founded by Jeff and Robin Reinke. Go to www.therelationshipresource.org for more information.
The final newest Coffee Bar coming to Vista will be opening in mid-September, Black Rock Coffee Bar. This will be the second Black Rock Coffee Bar location in Vista. The Black Rock Coffee Bar at 823 E Vista Way is a drive-thru only. This company began in 2008 in a 160 sq. ft. space in Beaverton, Oregon, opening as a drive-thru only. Owners Jeff Hernandez and Daniel Brand have now expanded to over 158 locations, and more are coming, in Arizona, Idaho, Colorado, Oregon, Texas and California. The new Vista location will bring the total in San Diego County to 4 with more planned. Most of the Black Rock Coffee Bars are drive-thru only, but the new Vista location will be both a drive-thru and a walk-in and sit down coffee shop located at 905 S Santa Fe Drive, former home of Regents Bank. Be on the lookout for the opening.
The first coffee shop to open, according to recorded history, was in Turkey in 1475. Ever since then, the world has been enamored with the dark liquid. No doubt the 1971 opening of Starbucks helped bring the modern craze of coffee bars/shops to the fore front of businesses providing a variety of coffee styles and tastes and providing a place to socialize with friends or pick up a quick to-go drink. The Vista coffee scene seems to be taking off and joining with the rest of America in the coffee craze.
