Three Pines Coffee
165 Main St. Salt Lake City, UT Get Directions
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 everything they needed. I stood there soaking it up as the baristas helped the customer in front of me. Gorgeous wooden cabinets behind the bar, easy to read menu, and the immediate feeling of calm. The calmness in this shop was what really made my experience wonderful. The minute I stepped through the doors, the world 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 feeling glowed through the other customers. One person looked to be just staring outside enjoying their coffee and taking a break from the outside world. Another customer sat writing and editing a book. I was lucky enough to actually meet this man, you’ll meet him later on in this article. And lastly, there was a woman sitting in the back just working and checking emails on her laptop. It was so peaceful that this was actually 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 I realized I might have been holding them up. I apologized if it was a bad time and they both laughed and told me not to worry. Megan and Hannah were great baristas – very friendly and full of positive energy. I handed them a Find That Coffee sticker and they helped answer my questions. I found out Three Pines Coffee was almost four years old, founded by Nick Price and Meg Frampton. Even more interesting is the fact that they pride themselves on not having WIFI. Oh, for all my decaf drinkers, I'm sorry but they don't offer any here. The music is played via record player, anywhere from indie to classic oldies. Customers even 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 they decided not to have WIFI. At first, I was too, but after hearing their reasoning, I'm glad they don't. Three Pines Coffee strives to give the customer a great personal experience when they're here. Without WIFI you may talk and have conversations with people around you, which wouldn't happen as easily if you had headphones in. I wouldn't have had the same experience with everyone there had they been submerged in technology. This totally changed my philosophy on “No WIFI”. Don't feel attacked if you'd like to go there and 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 like absolute 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 stay and 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. Steve Patrick introduced himself and asked me if I believed in energies, higher consciousness, and a state of enlightenment. I was intrigued. Steve told me that he has published a book, A Whole of the Whole, on the topic 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 more positively, and how doing so results in positive changes to how those around you react to you; all of which improve our happiness. This book took him three years to compose and he was excited for me to read a passage from it – it was right up my alley. His face lit up when I told him how much I liked it and he gently handed me a copy and told me he wanted me to have it. Steve has such a strong passion for the world and communicating with people. I highly recommend purchasing his book! Please head over to support his GoFundMe.
Nick
I was grabbing my notebook and about to head out when Nick Price, the owner, just so happened to walk into the shop. He was really impressed by my mission to help small coffee shops tell their story. I told him how much I enjoyed his coffee shop and how good it looks. He told me they actually built everything in this place; the bar, tiles, and installed the lights. I told him how much I enjoyed the subtle coat racks made out of metal piping. Nick told me that he used to work at a coffee shop in LA called Handsome Coffee and then it was bought out by Blue Bottle Coffee. Nick and Meg decided to head to Salt Lake City and run with their dream to open a coffee shop. I’m glad they did because this shop is very high on my list. Nick finished by telling about his adventure across Europe, where he tried a variety of coffee shops, a mini coffee tour if you will. I told him how much I would love to take what I’m doing now and go international. I really enjoyed our conversation and I was able to see how sincere Nick’s passion is for coffee. He even talked to me for an hour passed closing time. I plan to come back soon and enjoy a coffee out on the patio.
Bathroom
Unfortunately, you’re out of luck for a bathroom.