A Coffee Shop That Engages the Community Spirit of Southern New Jersey

A motley group of string musicians gather for their monthly jam session at Treehouse Coffee Shop. (Photo/Shane Kellum)

On Friday, November 2nd, Treehouse Coffee Shop hosted an array of local string musicians who came together to play old-time music: a genre that originated from the songs of the Irish and English and played by the American settlers of the 19th Century. The cafe does this on the first Friday of every month, and it’s not the only way they are bringing the community together.

Treehouse Coffee Shop, located in Audobon, NJ, has been in business for about 15 years now and has become a popular social hub for the surrounding area. “It’s just good people, a lot of good conversation,” said John Conroy of Collingswood, NJ, who comes to the cafe daily. Treehouse has become a venue for live performances, weekly open mics, writing groups, and so much more. They even host a live Irish band every Thursday. “That group has played with us for, I’d say 10 years,” said Haleigh Bunting, a 24-year-old barista at Treehouse. “They played here one night, and it just became a regular thing. [The band] has a real community…they have so much fun.”

Possibly the most constructive affair here is ‘Espresso Yourself.’ “I think it’s one of the most wonderful things we do,” said Bunting. The event, ran by Community ROCKS’ Sara O’Brien, invites preschoolers to express themselves through music. “This place is packed,” Conroy commented, “I’d say there’s usually around 30 kids.” Community ROCKS is a local organization focused on inspiring and educating children and teens through music and art. During Espresso Yourself, O’Brien usually sings and plays the guitar for the children.

The front counter at Treehouse Coffee Shop, where fresh baked goods, soups, loose-leaf teas, and other local goods are kept on display. (Photo/Shane Kellum)

As delightful and engaging as these events may be, this isn’t to say that Treehouse doesn’t have a strong focus on the coffee they serve. The cafe receives their beans from not one, but two different sources: Revolution Coffee Roasters of Collingswood, NJ, a small-batch roaster that roasts most of their coffee on the darker-side for a bolder taste, and Crescent Moon Coffee and Tea, LLC of Mullica Hill, NJ, a company that roasts their coffee on the lighter-side to bring out some of the natural, nuanced flavors of the beans. Both roasters believe in using sustainable practices, which align with the values of Treehouse Coffee Shop, and Crescent Moon specifically uses fair trade, organic beans to make their coffee.

The cafe also serves a variety of soups, sandwiches, baked goods, and potpies, among other menu items, and offers a variety of vegan and gluten-free options. All of the food available at Treehouse is fresh and locally-sourced, a feat accomplished in part by their alliance with Our Yards Farm CSA: a rather unorthodox farming group that is comprised of suburban community members who use their own lawns to grow crops. The CSA ensures that all members use organic practices.

With everything that goes into making this coffee shop what it is, it is clear that Treehouse is more than just a cafe. In an age where most of us are glued to a screen, it’s comforting to know that there’s a place that is bringing folks together through a common interest. It isn’t a chat room, message board, or social media site, but a physical location providing a public service, if you will, to the community. It benefits the region’s economy, environment, and society, making Treehouse a worth-while place to visit and explore.

From a Lone Food Truck to Three Cafes, Rival Bros. Gains Ground in Philly

Exterior of Rival Bros.’ second location on Spruce Street. Photo by Shane Kellum

From its humble beginnings selling coffee from a food truck, Rival Bros. now has three cafes spanning across the city of Philadelphia.

The journey that this growing company has gone through started with co-founders Jonathon Adams and Damien Pileggi. Friends since high school, the two were able to bring their respective backgrounds together to create a successful business. Pileggi, who previously worked for Philly-based cafe and roaster La Colombe, was able to educate himself about the art of roasting coffee when his former employers sent him to the West Coast. This, combined with Adams extensive knowledge in the culinary arts, has allowed the two to run a unique cafe that not only roasts a wide-variety of their own coffee, but offers patrons food from local eateries such as High Street, Machine Shop Boulangerie, and Lil Pop Shop, among others.

Exterior of Rival Bros.’ first location in Filter Square. Photo by Shane Kellum

After three years of hustling coffee out of a food truck, Rival Bros. opened it first brick-and-mortar cafe in 2014 on the corner of 24th and Lombard. Right in the middle of the bustling Filter Square neighborhood, this location offers nearby residents a spot to sit and relax as they drink their coffee or grab a cup on-the-go. In fact, the company even started canning their cold brew coffee for convenience, which, when shaken, turns into a nitro-brew.  Despite its size, this small, yet cozy, cafe has plenty of room to rest on its wide benches and many chairs and caters to the many students, professionals, and families in the area.

Interior of Rival Bros.’ second location on Spruce Street. Photo by Shane Kellum.

In 2017, the ambitious coffee bar opened two new locations: one in Center City in the spring, and another in South Philly in the fall. A much larger interior than their original shop, Rival Bros. in Center City is set inside the Torraine Building on Spruce Street. Large, sculpted columns stretch from the mosaic-tiled floor up past the large, mirrored chandeliers. The intricate woodworkings on the black walls and white ceilings fit beautifully with the ornate designs found on so many facades of the structures that inhabit Philadelphia.

“What I like most is the space,” said Jordan Magill, who comes to Rival Bros. weekly. “It’s like a 1980s horror-movie mansion,” he continued. “It’s like Beetlejuice.” A recovering alcoholic, Magill uses this location as a social hangout. “Theres not too many spots for us, just diners and cafes.” The mellow music and overall layout prevent sound from traveling, he added, allowing for conversations to be exclusive and private.

Interior of Rival Bros.’ third location in Passyunk Square. Photo by Shane Kellum.

Rival Bros. third coffee bar, in the heart of Passyunk Square, has been in operation for just under a year now. The area has seen a tremendous growth in business and development, which has played a part in this budding cafe’s success.

“The restaurants make a real community,” said general manager Joe Cairnes. “a lot of staff come here.” Cairnes went on to comment on the roles that the owners play in overseeing the cafe. “They’re really involved in the business. They listen to us; they take care of us,” Cairnes continued. “Working for these small coffee shops, people stay there forever, so [the owners] really build a relationship with the staff. It says a lot when you see people working at the same coffee shop for two, three, four years.”

The general manager also stated that Rival Bros. has 16 accounts in the area for whom the roast coffee, resulting in a tremendous output. The company now roasts out of the Globe Dye Works building in Frankford, an old textile factory that has become a haven for local business owners to not only work, but to live in as well.

The cafe itself has a more modern feel than the previous two. Designed by Ian Chapin of Edsel Co. (who also designed the Spruce Street location), the interior is meant to reflect a 1960s vibe, demonstrated by the rounded mirrors that hang on the walls, the many circular tabletops, and vintage movie posters that decorate the cafe.

What makes Rival Bros. special is how they’ve been able to appeal to multiple demographics in such a diverse city. Whether it’s a quaint coffee shop that appeals to a more residential area, a large cafe for the busy comers-and-goers of Center City, or a hipper, more modern location that appeals to the young adults of South Philly, they have been able to capitalize wherever they set-up shop.