Tyler Venter and his parents faced a dilemma atย their design studio: people kept seeingย their espresso machine and walking in to order coffee. The drinks were actually just for clients; the espresso bar was in lieu of a reception desk. But after enough almost-customersย came in, they decided it was maybe time to go with the flow.
So whileย Spur Coffeeโs white walls and wooden floors were initially meantย to house just the Venters’ design studio (Spur), they settled on the nice compromise ofย turning it into that and also a coffee shop run by Tyler, with collaborative officeย space to rent out as well. (The design studio isย run by his father, Marcel Venter.)
โWe looked at other locations in the [Denver metro] area and chose Littleton for its historic vibe and proximity to Denver and light-rail access,โ says the youngerย Venter. โThe espresso bar evolved from our studio. We had [it]ย set up as a place where we couldย meet with clients, but we had so many people walking in thinking they could buy coffee that we eventually opened to the public.โ
Beingย in a town like Littleton the past three years has allowedย the Venters to connect with the community without dealing with big-city drawbacks such as lack of parking and aย pushy pace of life. It has also brought specialty coffee to a community lacking much experience withย it.
โLittleton was a coffee wastelandโthere was no craft coffee,โ says Venter. โWe had to spend a ton of time educating and making people aware that there is more to taste in coffee beyond burnt asphalt.
The front espresso bar consists of a La Marzocco GS3 and Mahlkรถnig K30ย grinder filled with Sweet Bloom Coffee Roastersย beans;ย on the backbar sitย Mazzer Miniย andย Mahlkรถnig Kenia grinders, anย AeroPress, and a pour-over setup. Desk space near the back of the cafe is open for reservations from local companies or individuals, along with some first-come, first-served spaces.
The drink menu features bothย standard espresso-beverage options and a rotating seasonal menu. Highlights from the summer menu include a Vietnamese iced-coffee-inspired drink called the Compacta and a masala-rooibos tea, mint, and lemonade beverage called the Greyton that Tyler says heย drank growing up. His mother, Tandi Venter, bakes and creates all the shop’s pastries.
The Venters are clearly glad theyย didn’t keep their espresso for just their design clients and have found that the sense of community inย Littleton has made the space a joy and a success.
โ[Itโs] the people,โ says Tyler. โTheir stories, the friendships, and a community that has come alive around coffeeโand of course, the freedom and opportunity to do work on our own branding.โ
Coffee in Denver is competitive and there’s little room for new players. It might be time for newย shops and roasters to start looking outside the cityย for the next great coffee hot spotโpeople in Littleton already have.
Ben Wiese is a freelance journalist based in Denver. Read more Ben Wiese on Sprudge.