The Peoples Coffee
221 E 300 S Salt Lake City, UT
Contact: 415-683-3259
IG @thepeoplescoffeeutah
Facebook
Date Visited: October 30, 2019
There’s something about a fresh cup of coffee after dinner that really completes the day. It was Wednesday, October 30th, 2019 around 6 p.m., the day before Halloween. I was having a blast checking out Salt Lake City and surprised how many coffee shops were in this city. Driving around downtown I just so happened to spot The People’s Coffee, flipped a U-turn, and went in to check it out.
The second you walk inside you’ll see the walls covered in art. I have always had a strong love for art so Iwas excited to see what there was. From the outside this coffee shop deceived me of its size; it wasactually pretty freaking big. Tons of tables and chairs to enjoy your coffee, bring your work, or meet afriend. Since it was late in the day, there were only a few people in there and the barista.
This place was cool, I hoped their coffee would live up to my experience so far. I headed up to the counterand met McKay, the barista. He was quiet at first and then I told him why I was stopping by. He wasdelighted to know that The People’s Coffee made my list. He suddenly turned around, snagged a cup, andpoured a coffee. Looked at me and said, “Here man, on the house.” I was very thankful and even moregrateful because it was full of flavor!
Before I began asking McKay any specific questions, he started firing offsome fun facts. It’s like he readmy mind or maybe coffee-drinkers just think alike. The People’s Coffee is a play on Karl Marx, for thepeople. It makes sense now with all of the photographs hanging on the wall. This coffee shop is four yearsold but the current owner has been running it for the past two years. This is a great place to come bringyour laptop and hangout, as they do offer WIFI.
"Local"
Think about that word for a second. The ethos of the People’s Coffee is to support their community. Along list backs this up. First, they serve Caffe Ibis, which is locally roasted here in Utah. Second, thepastries are all baked in town. When I was there they had bagels, muffins, cookies, and other tasty lookingtreats. Third, they offer freshly squeezed juices from a company in Salt Lake City called Pulp LifestyleKitchen – definitely check them out! Fourth, The People’s Coffee supports the local music scene byhosting an open mic night every second Saturday of the month, so mark your calendars. McKay told methe owner and manager are big DJ’s and have a huge appreciation for music. Lastly, the artwork on thewalls was created by a handful of local artists. Since the art rotates, I took tons of pictures to helphighlight the artwork I saw at the time. I will tell you about each artist and their work below.
The Art
Wow, I was blown away by the talent hanging up in this coffee shop. From what I could see, there werepastel prints, pencil, chalk, digital, and mixed media. The pastel prints were done by Phil Morse. He drewportraits of people using a variety of color and shading techniques. The next artist was Valerie Jane with awide variety of subjects: a whale, flowers, bees, squid, tattoos, and of course my favorite, coffee. Followher @janethestranger on Instagram – she is an amazing tattoo artist as well. I really enjoyed the artworkbehind the counter as well, but I couldn’t make out the name of the artist. Finally, I spotted the best littlechalk sign that read “Shoot for the moon, if you miss you’ll land among the stars.” This really resonateswith me since I am chasing a dream to be a coffee blogger. Check them out at @chalk_notes. Awesomefact about them: all notes are made by SLC artists. This visit just put me in a great mood, I’m really happyI spotted them. (More artwork posted below)
The Coffee
My coffee was delicious and full of flavor. When that’s the case I will drink it black and that personallymakes me so happy to not have to “pollute” the coffee with creamer. The People’s Coffee wants toincentivize locals to come back so they even offer a loyalty card. Be sure to get one and make them part ofyour routine. I sat there admiring the artwork, an awesome way to end my day and start winding down.
Partnership
A really cool local thing that I just happened to witness. When I was standing in line, a guy in a fullbarbershop outfit came in, name-dropped, picked up a coffee, and started heading to the door. I wasstaring at the whole interaction eager to know what just happened. McKay and the guy read my confusedface and told me that they have a deal where the barbershop takes coffee requests from the customers andthe barbers will run and grab the drink for whoever is getting their haircut. I was so hyped that I asked ifthe guy would let me take his picture and he was cool with it.
The Bathroom
The bathroom was pretty plain and not much to it. There was a simple mirror, clean floors, and awindow. Then I spotted it! The mop! I was cracking up over their sense of humor on the situation. Thesign reads, “Unfortunately: The City Required us to have this Mop-sink installed, right here. Weapologize for the eye-sore. Enjoy your stay!” Haha they had me laughing. For that, I rank this bathroom aclean 8/10.
Valerie Jane 
