Amethyst Coffee has been a downtown staple since it first made a home at 1111 Broadway Street. The open and airy energy of this quaint space has rendered it a go-to spot for many locals. The owner, Elle Jensen, aimed to stay true to the culture they created on Broadway when she opened Amethyst’s second location — one of acceptance and safety, where those of all race, creed, color shape and size can enjoy a great cup of coffee in a pleasant environment. That is one reason why both spaces have an inherent welcoming, feminine feel, with light colors, flowers, beautiful furniture and creative paintings.
“Everything is structured the same way,” expressed Jensen as she explained the process of opening a second Amethyst. “All of our prep work is the same. All of our coffee ordering is the same. As a coffee shop, you are creating a physical space for people and you are serving something that you want to feel good about. So we do that at our first location and there didn’t really need to be many menu changes or dramatic change. Mostly we just try to be true to the space and not try to make it something that it’s not, so that’s why this one doesn’t look at all like the other one.”
This expansion is just the beginning. And while Jensen did not plan on opening her second location in Denver, growing was always apart of the vision.
“It was not part of the plan to have more than one in Denver, but sometimes that’s just how life goes,” explained Jensen. “We started looking for a second location for the better part of last year in 2017 and then I finally signed this lease last November.”
Jensen brought the same positive flow from her Broadway location to her new spot on 44th ave. And with signs that read “we value your color, class, creed, gender, & orientation. This is a safe space. Anything less will not be tolerated,” posted throughout the cafe, she’s transporting that inclusive Amethyst energy to Berkeley.
–“I don’t think there’s a reason to push a political agenda, but also I would prefer for it to be known to people when they come in here that this is what we stand for,” expressed Jensen. “And when you buy a coffee here, this is what you’re supporting and these are our values and if these are not your values, we can have a conversation about it.”
While the new space does not serve the creative cocktails that you’ll find at the Broadway location, they do serve the same locally sourced pastries from Rebel Bread (like a raspberry cream cheese danish and almond biscotti) and unique drinks (like a vibrant green matcha tea and iced purple horchata) as the first cafe.
From the message to the food and drink, Jensen and her team did their best to retain the integrity of their brand. And they did the same as they styled and constructed the new space.
“We just tried to keep it as intact historically as possible,” explained Jensen as she described styling Amethysts new location. “To paint all of these walls white and put in light wood would have been a sad thing. So most of this is original. All of the plaster and brick on those walls was all there. We just touched it up a little bit.”
You can stop by Amethyst’s second cafe from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., daily at 4999 W. 44th Avenue, Denver.
All photos by Brittni Bell Photo.