Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Heart's work

From jewelry shop to coffee shop in Mission Hills

James and Dark Horse coffee now being served at newly opened Heartwork Coffee Bar in Mission Hills.
James and Dark Horse coffee now being served at newly opened Heartwork Coffee Bar in Mission Hills.

January got the year off to a good start for a couple of localities in need of quality coffee. Up in Carmel Mountain Ranch, Mostra Coffee (12225 World Trade Drive) began opening the doors of its roastery between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Wednesdays. You can get hand-bottled cold brew, freshly bagged whole beans, and hot drinks made by the cup.

You may also catch roaster Mike Arquines cooking away on Mostra’s San Franciscan — the makeshift coffee counter in this small warehouse space sits just a few feet away from the roasting equipment. It may not be the sort of place to be seen writing your novel on that laptop, but it’s a worthy spot to start checking out this coffee, preferably while chatting with one of the other Mostra founders on hand. This group went to high school together in the neighborhood and are determined to build up the coffee culture where they live.

Sponsored
Sponsored
Place

Waypoint Public

3794 30th Street, San Diego

Down in North Park, Dark Horse Coffee Roasters has gotten running with the coffee counter they’ve been building out at Waypoint Public (3794 30th Street) the past few months. I ran into brothers Daniel and Bryan Charlson at the site, finishing up some final details. They planned to open within a few days and said it should be in full swing by the time this sees print. It’s not a huge space, so coffee counter in the truest sense.

Place

Heartwork Coffee Bar

3993 Goldfinch Street, San Diego

Place

James Coffee Co.

2355 India Street, San Diego

The greatest impact this month may be felt in Mission Hills, with the opening of Heartwork (3993 Goldfinch Street), an independent shop serving Dark Horse as well as James Coffee (2355 India Street). Judging by some of the crowds lighting up the place during its first week in business, this neighborhood has been yearning for some good pour-over and finely hewn espresso drinks.

I caught up with two of the co-owners of Heartwork back in September. Like the Charlsons, Rob Moran and Sam Stothers had some construction experience to fall back on while building the place out. It served them well, as the city had them jumping through hoops converting the former jewelry shop into a sanctioned service establishment. When I met them, they’d torn up half the floors to comply with local and state regulations. Moran called the effort a “labor of love,” and after seeing how hard they worked to put this shop together, its name makes a lot of sense.

Like longtime friend David Kennedy (of James Coffee), these guys also have a background in the local music scene. They played together in punk and hardcore bands over the years. Moran and Stothers speculate getting involved in specialty coffee is a natural fit for people involved in this subculture, which is known to align with a straight-edge lifestyle — one free of alcohol or anything else stronger than caffeine.

Both guys spent a few years living in Seattle and aim to bring back some of the coffee-shop culture they experienced there. They’ve crafted a laid-back and friendly space where guests can hang around and enjoy a creative, musical atmosphere. A genuine neighborhood coffee spot.

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Rapper Wax wishes his name looked like an email password

“You gotta be search-engine optimized these days”
Next Article

Rapper Wax wishes his name looked like an email password

“You gotta be search-engine optimized these days”
James and Dark Horse coffee now being served at newly opened Heartwork Coffee Bar in Mission Hills.
James and Dark Horse coffee now being served at newly opened Heartwork Coffee Bar in Mission Hills.

January got the year off to a good start for a couple of localities in need of quality coffee. Up in Carmel Mountain Ranch, Mostra Coffee (12225 World Trade Drive) began opening the doors of its roastery between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Wednesdays. You can get hand-bottled cold brew, freshly bagged whole beans, and hot drinks made by the cup.

You may also catch roaster Mike Arquines cooking away on Mostra’s San Franciscan — the makeshift coffee counter in this small warehouse space sits just a few feet away from the roasting equipment. It may not be the sort of place to be seen writing your novel on that laptop, but it’s a worthy spot to start checking out this coffee, preferably while chatting with one of the other Mostra founders on hand. This group went to high school together in the neighborhood and are determined to build up the coffee culture where they live.

Sponsored
Sponsored
Place

Waypoint Public

3794 30th Street, San Diego

Down in North Park, Dark Horse Coffee Roasters has gotten running with the coffee counter they’ve been building out at Waypoint Public (3794 30th Street) the past few months. I ran into brothers Daniel and Bryan Charlson at the site, finishing up some final details. They planned to open within a few days and said it should be in full swing by the time this sees print. It’s not a huge space, so coffee counter in the truest sense.

Place

Heartwork Coffee Bar

3993 Goldfinch Street, San Diego

Place

James Coffee Co.

2355 India Street, San Diego

The greatest impact this month may be felt in Mission Hills, with the opening of Heartwork (3993 Goldfinch Street), an independent shop serving Dark Horse as well as James Coffee (2355 India Street). Judging by some of the crowds lighting up the place during its first week in business, this neighborhood has been yearning for some good pour-over and finely hewn espresso drinks.

I caught up with two of the co-owners of Heartwork back in September. Like the Charlsons, Rob Moran and Sam Stothers had some construction experience to fall back on while building the place out. It served them well, as the city had them jumping through hoops converting the former jewelry shop into a sanctioned service establishment. When I met them, they’d torn up half the floors to comply with local and state regulations. Moran called the effort a “labor of love,” and after seeing how hard they worked to put this shop together, its name makes a lot of sense.

Like longtime friend David Kennedy (of James Coffee), these guys also have a background in the local music scene. They played together in punk and hardcore bands over the years. Moran and Stothers speculate getting involved in specialty coffee is a natural fit for people involved in this subculture, which is known to align with a straight-edge lifestyle — one free of alcohol or anything else stronger than caffeine.

Both guys spent a few years living in Seattle and aim to bring back some of the coffee-shop culture they experienced there. They’ve crafted a laid-back and friendly space where guests can hang around and enjoy a creative, musical atmosphere. A genuine neighborhood coffee spot.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Reader writer Chris Ahrens tells the story of Windansea

The shack is a landmark declaring, “The best break in the area is out there.”
Next Article

At Comedor Nishi a world of cuisines meet for brunch

A Mexican eatery with Japanese and French influences
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader