THREE PINES COFFEE
165 Main St. Salt Lake City, UT
Contact: 805-395-8907
WWW.THREEPINESCOFFEE.COM
IG @threepinescoffee
Facebook
Date Visited: October 28, 2019
On October 28th, 2019, the wind blew me into Three Pines Coffee shop in downtown Salt Lake City. The day went from cold to freezing; I guess this is what it looks like at the beginning of winter in Utah. It was gorgeous though, leaves all different colors, crazy cloud formations, and what looked to be one of the cleanest cities I’ve explored. I pulled up on the street, saw three white pine trees on the window, and then the neon COFFEE sign. I knew I had to be in the right place. I hurried in before the wind could blow me away.
The Shop
Woah, I wasn’t expecting this. This coffee shop was very minimal yet perfectly organized with everythingthey needed. I stood there soaking it up as the baristas helped the customer in front of me. Gorgeouswooden cabinets behind the bar, easy to read menu, and the immediate feeling of calm. The calmness inthis shop was what really made my experience wonderful. The minute I stepped through the doors, theworld of hustle and bustle stopped. It became a comfort.
This feeling of comfort remained for my entire visit, even amped up on caffeine. The same feelingglowed through the other customers. One person looked to be just staring outside enjoying their coffeeand taking a break from the outside world. Another customer sat writing and editing a book. I was luckyenough to actually meet this man, you’ll meet him later on in this article. And lastly, there was a womansitting in the back just working and checking emails on her laptop. It was so peaceful that this wasactually the first time I was shy and nervous to disrupt the zen by asking interview questions.
The baristas ended up reading my shirt and wanted to know what it meant. We got to talking and Irealized I might have been holding them up. I apologized if it was a bad time and they both laughed andtold me not to worry. Megan and Hannah were great baristas – very friendly and full of positive energy. Ihanded them a Find That Coffee sticker and they helped answer my questions. I found out Three PinesCoffee was almost four years old, founded by Nick Price and Meg Frampton. Even more interesting is thefact that they pride themselves on not having WIFI. Oh, for all my decaf drinkers, I’m sorry but they don’toffer any here. The music is played via record player, anywhere from indie to classic oldies. Customerseven have the option to bring in their own records to be played as well.
Is There WIFI?
No WIFI. Yeah, I can’t skip over this topic. You may be sitting there wondering why in the heck theydecided not to have WIFI. At first, I was too, but after hearing their reasoning, I’m glad they don’t. ThreePines Coffee strives to give the customer a great personal experience when they’re here. Without WIFIyou may talk and have conversations with people around you, which wouldn’t happen as easily if you hadheadphones in. I wouldn’t have had the same experience with everyone there had they been submerged intechnology. This totally changed my philosophy on “No WIFI”. Don’t feel attacked if you’d like to go thereand get work done either, they don’t mind if you bring your tech to work in this comforting atmosphere,They ultimately want to offer a calm unplugged space for customers to take a break.
The Coffee
Hannah wanted to make me a fancy drink for the pictures. I was pretty stoked because it looked likeabsolute perfection and tasted even better. The coffee is Heart Coffee Roasters out of Portland, OR.Hannah told me that they also cycle through different roasters every so often as well. Fun fact, if you stayand sip your coffee, they offer a free refill. Could you have a better incentive to stay and relax than that!?
A Whole of The Whole
After I finished interviewing Three Pines, a gentleman with the most cheerful smile came up to me. StevePatrick introduced himself and asked me if I believed in energies, higher consciousness, and a state ofenlightenment. I was intrigued. Steve told me that he has published a book, A Whole of the Whole, on thetopic of living a fuller life. In his book, Steve explains how our thoughts, both negative and positive,connect with the words we use to express ourselves. He teaches how to communicate with yourself morepositively, and how doing so results in positive changes to how those around you react to you; all ofwhich improve our happiness. This book took him three years to compose and he was excited for me toread a passage from it – it was right up my alley. His face lit up when I told him how much I liked it andhe gently handed me a copy and told me he wanted me to have it. Steve has such a strong passion for theworld and communicating with people. I highly recommend purchasing his book! Please head over tosupport his GoFundMe.
Nick
I was grabbing my notebook and about to head out when Nick Price, the owner, just so happened to walkinto the shop. He was really impressed by my mission to help small coffee shops tell their story. I told himhow much I enjoyed his coffee shop and how good it looks. He told me they actually built everything inthis place; the bar, tiles, and installed the lights. I told him how much I enjoyed the subtle coat racks madeout of metal piping. Nick told me that he used to work at a coffee shop in LA called Handsome Coffee andthen it was bought out by Blue Bottle Coffee. Nick and Meg decided to head to Salt Lake City and runwith their dream to open a coffee shop. I’m glad they did because this shop is very high on my list. Nickfinished by telling about his adventure across Europe, where he tried a variety of coffee shops, a minicoffee tour if you will. I told him how much I would love to take what I’m doing now and gointernational. I really enjoyed our conversation and I was able to see how sincere Nick’s passion is forcoffee. He even talked to me for an hour passed closing time. I plan to come back soon and enjoy a coffeeout on the patio.
The Bathroom
Unfortunately, you’re out of luck for a bathroom.
