GreenStreet Opening a Cafe in the Former Spruce Street Espresso

By Danya Henninger

Wash West coffee drinkers who miss the shuttered Spruce Street Espresso will be pumped to hear about this one. We just got off the phone with GreenStreet Coffee Roasters co-owner Tom Molieri, who confirmed that he and his brother Chris are taking over the 12th 11th and Spruce Street space to open a retail cafe.

Not many details are in place yet, but the pair is definitely targeting an opening sometime this year. Since they roast their own beans, expect a wide variety of coffee options that change often, even seasonally. “This may be the first time since La Colombe that a roastery is opening a cafe in Philly,” Molieri noted.

There will be a big focus on transparency, tracing the story of each coffee from origin to roasting to serving, highlighting sustainability along the way. Tom is excited; he even came back early from vacation to make sure the Spruce Street deal went through. “It happened first with food scene, then wine, then craft beer, and now we’re finally at the point where Americans really care where their coffee came from and how it’s prepared.”

Though GreenStreet has been wholesale only thus far, Molieri does have some retail experience. For around four years he worked on the line at South Philly BYO August, where he picked up a wealth of information, not only about cooking - which he translates into roasting - but also about running a retail establishment.

As for the name of the cafe, no decisions have been made, but it will probably be something simple. Have a good suggestion? Leave it in the comments and if the Molieri brothers use it, you’ll get free coffee for a month. Make it snappy!