For quite some time now, hardcore coffee lovers living in certain reaches of South Philly have had to suffer the indignity of traveling slightly outside the neighborhood--to
Bodhi Coffee, for instance, or to
Ultimo Coffee or
Spruce Street Espresso--to score a high-quality, fair trade Americano. But that all changed about three weeks ago, when
Shot Tower Coffee opened for business inside a beautifully refurbished space near the corner of South 6th and Christian streets.
The shop's two owners, Mariel Freeman and Matthew Derago, met while working at
Rojo's Roastery, a small batch artisan coffee roaster located in Lambertville, N.J. "And after working there, we kind of had an idea about what we wanted in a cafe," says Derago, a trained biologist who previously co-owned the South Street-area sneaker and street-wear shop Afficial.
Without a doubt, Shot Tower is a coffee obsessive's paradise. (Portland's
Stumptown Coffee Roasters, for instance, is currently its main supplier.) And as Freeman is quick to point out, the ethical considerations that go into the shop's purchasing decisions extended to its architecture, as well. "Everything is recycled and reused," she says. "Everything."
Which is pretty much true: The backsplash tiles came from a 1920s Trenton subway station. The white pine holding up the front counter is recycled barn wood from Lancaster. And the table frames were snatched up from the old Tastykake factory.
"Our coffee is mostly certified direct trade," says Freeman, when asked to describe what makes her cafe special. "It's all about encouraging sustainability and transparency, on every step of the path that coffee makes, from seed to cup."
Source: Mariel Freeman and Matthew Derago, Shot Tower Coffee
Writer: Dan Eldridge
Photo Courtesy of Drew Lazor