By Gene Anderson
One of the latest places to open on Telegraph Avenue is Black Spring Coffee Company on the edge of Pill Hill. In what’s been a mostly empty stretch of storefronts between Commonwealth Cafe and Public House and the Bee Healthy Honey Shop, it’s a lively addition to the area.
Owner Ryan Stark happily serves customers his favorite coffee, Monsoon Medley, the least acidic coffee out there. It’s Indian coffee roasted in Menlo Park, and is very tasty. There’s a nice vibe and, although there’s no wireless, there were a number of people working and talking with each other when I was there. Definitely a nice place to hang out.
One of the people working there was local (very local, as in he lives nearby) artist Keith Magruder, who has numerous watercolors of food hanging on Black Spring’s walls. Magruder grew up in Washington, D.C., helping his mother and grandmother bake, which helped bring joy into their lives regardless of the occasion, he said.
In Magruder’s words, he “paints bread because it is a modern symbol of class, status, culture and race while also being a staple food for many cultures.” While I was there, he was working on a painting of another modern symbol, a pair of Air Nikes.
Black Spring Coffee Company is located at 2930 Telegraph Ave., between 29th and 30th streets. It’s open daily from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and can be reached by phone at 510-697-0089. Credit cards are accepted but internet is not offered. Connect with Black Spring on Facebook and on Instagram. Gift certificates and coffee by the pound are available.
This post first appeared on Our Oakland, and has been reprinted here with permission.
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