B Sharp specializes in craft coffee.
Wandering around cities looking for the best caffeine spots is a recurring theme in my life. One afternoon I stumbled upon the elegant Olive Branch Café and Tea Room. The next morning, B Sharp Coffee House. I was immediately drawn to the old building painted in bright colors, and the cute little courtyard entrance in front. As soon as I walked into the cavernous room and saw the couches, old exposed walls and pillows made from burlap coffee sacks, I knew it was a place I wanted to drink some coffee.
As I walked up to the counter, I saw a dark shape moving silently towards me. I thought it was a cat, but it was a small dog. Jamie, the barista on duty (also an artist, model and entrepreneur) said Ella is often mistaken for a cat or a shadow.
I asked for just a regular cup of coffee. Jamie told me that wasn’t available. “We’re a slow bar,” she said. Which meant I could get a pour-over or an Americano. Craft coffee only. I went with the Americano. They offer a variety of non-dairy milk, but no soy. I chose hemp.
Since I’d shown up during a quiet part of the day and I was interested in the building, Jamie took me in the back room. The building once housed the Tacoma News Tribune. She pointed out where a printing press once exploded, killing a man and leaving the building haunted. Every time she goes back there she gets cold goosebumps, she said. Honestly, I had them, too. I decided not to use the restroom, since it’s past the site of the exploded printing press and I’m a total chicken, but Jamie said it’s decorated beautifully.
Colorful Ledger Square
Safely back in the front room, I met Ruby Chambers, who owns the building. It’s called Ledger Square and dates back to 1910. She and her husband bought it 16 years ago and have done most of the work on the building themselves. “These are working hands,” she said, showing me. The building, which is very large, also houses a yoga studio, artists’ studios, an art gallery, Pilates studio and a wellness center. Ruby’s used to Ledger Square’s ghosts. They don’t bother her at all.
If you like craft coffee and/or ghosts, pay B Sharp a visit. Tuesday is comedy night where local comics go to try out their routines. Live bands play on weekend nights.
