Opening a coffee shop with less than 100 square feet of real estate is a daunting endeavor. Figuring out where to place the coffee bar, where to put the seating (or if there should even be any), trying to decipher what โbar flowโ even means in such a small areaโthe already difficult task of designing a cafe becomes far more soย when the space is thatย constricted.
Unless, of course, that new coffee shop began its life in a trailer. Such is the case with Austinโs newest brick-and-mortar cafe and ceramics shop Sister Coffee. What was originally an outpostย in a small food truck park off East 12th Street, has been transformed by co-owners Amanda Farris and Jenny Mulder into a spacious (and air-conditioned) new retail cafe a little over a mile away.
Sitting at the intersection of Cesar Chavez and San Marcos streets, the space for the new Sister Coffee is hard to miss, thanks to the building-long mural of a cartoon figureย curled up on its side reading a book. Still on the east side of town, though barely, the trailer turned brick-and-mortar now resides in the southernmost corner of Farewell Booksโan independent bookstore and art galleryโthat hadย previously housedย Flat Track Coffee before itย moved down the road into a shared space with a bike shop. Sisterโs new space is set against a backdrop of downtown skyscrapers in various stages of completion, a constant reminder of the exponential growth Austin is undergoing.
The interior has changed a bit since it was occupied by Flat Track. Farris and Mulder have painted the slate-gray walls white and replaced the steel and mahogany-esque wood coffee bar with white tile and a much lighter wood countertop. The only seating comes from a pillowed bench built into a small nook on the right side of the shop, running along the wall dividing the coffee area from the bookstore. Though the space is small and matter-of-fact, it’sย well-utilized.
Across from the bench is a small display of handmade ceramic mugs, some created by Mulder and others coming from hard-to-find ceramists like Peter Shire of LA’sย Echo Park Pottery. Ceramics play a big role in the identity of both Sister Coffee and its owners. They often host in-store ceramic workshops, they collaborate with other local ceramists on new lines, Mulder makes much of Sisterโs servingware, and Farris co-owns Catchtilly, a well-curated โprogressive general storeโ for all things smokeable, which means of course it has an incredible selection of ceramic pipes.
โCeramics are an avenue for Sister to connect with community,โ Mulder states. โWe like high art, we like sharing a wall with the gallery at Farewell Books, and ceramics fall nicely between the world of art and craft. Iโve always been drawn to the handmade and how it can bring a warmth and playfulness to any ritual, especially the ritual of drinking coffee.โ
Whether intentionally or otherwise, Sisterโs smaller space fosters this sense of community in a way bigger cafes oftenย struggle to. There is only ever one barista on staff at any given time at Sister, and itโs either Farris or Mulder. During my visit, it was Farrisโs turn to pull shots and make Chemexes using locally roasted Casa Brasil, one of the shopโs two main roasters (along with Revelator Coffee Company). While Farris moved between Sisterโs two-group Rancilio Classe 7 Leva espresso machine and Mazzer Major grinder, she and herย customers would pick up conversations that were started during previous visitsโabout how a date went, a book they were reading, or a shared excitement over the HBO premiere of “High Maintenance.” Many lingeredย to chat and sipย their coffee, leaving only after both were complete; it was a rare sight for to-go cups to leave more than half full.
Itโs difficult for an ex-Austinite like myself to not romanticize Sister Coffee a little. In a city growing faster than it can probably handle, Sister harkens back to a time when you didnโt have to be an established brand or independently wealthy to open a cafe near downtown. Yet, even as Austin continues to change (complaining about which being a rite of passage for any current or former Austin-dweller), there will always be places like Sisterโsmall, owner-operated, and fiercely individualistic. Farris and Mulderย are exemplars of the bootstrapping spirit that has long defined the greatness of Texasโs capital city. And as long as they are around, Austin will remain one of the coolest places on the planet.
Zac Cadwaladerย is the news editor at Sprudge Media Network.