Next to Tacoma’s oldest tavern, two sisters have reinvigorated an old corner coffee shop

Connected to The Spar, one of Tacoma’s oldest taverns, by way of an open doorway, a storage closet and whatever happened between 1917 and 2022, the new coffee shop at 2123 N. 30th St. had some explaining to do.

“We want people to know that we are different,” said Jordyn Curran, older sister to co-owner Emily Curran.

Together they are the creators of Curran Coffee, where the creative caffeine choices are as magnetic as the hospitality served here since June 20, 2022.

Perched on stools overlooking Old Town, the rattle of freight trains and seagulls in the air, guests sip a Puget Fog (earl grey oat-milk latte) or the Desert Rain, one of several Lotus energy drinks, an alternative caffeine made with cascara (the fruit of the coffee plant), green coffee beans and other plant-based extracts.

Specialty lattes include two named after the sisters’ Zodiacs: the Gemini with vanilla bean, hazelnut and salted caramel and the Taurus of vanilla chai with chocolate and macadamia nut. It makes sense when you see the logo of twinkle stars and two crescent moons — C and C, Curran and Coffee.

The white-washed trim, brightened from The Spar’s signature green hue, contrasts with the mahogany bar and red-brick walls. Before you’re even through the door, one of the Curran sisters says hello and how are you. Where the greeting can feel threadbare, here it feels honest, unadulterated.

“That was something we really wanted to bring to this space,” said Jordyn Curran.

CURRAN COFFEE LANDS IN OLD TOWN

Both in their 20s, the Currans have worked in coffee since they were teenagers, starting at the Frank Tobey Jones retirement center in the North End, where they perfected “making decaf espresso.” The low-pressure environment lent time and space to have fun with coffee.

Most of their hours, though, have been spent at drive-thru stands, the ubiquitous huts scattered in parking lots across the Pacific Northwest.

For about five years the sisters overlapped at Coffezaun Espresso outside Central Co-op on Pearl Street, which plays a role here: The Jam smoothie features freshly ground peanut butter sourced from the co-op, marionberry and strawberry purees, banana, honey and coconut milk.

A couple of years ago, they intermittently searched for a coffee stand of their own.

“We always kind of envisioned drive-thru because that’s what we knew,” said Jordyn Curran.

Though small in stature, such stands can be costly to buy anew, and they need land equipped for drive-thru lanes. They considered buying an existing business, and then Adrielle Flinders called.

Jordyn Curran served at The Spar for a spell a few years back, and she kept in touch with Flinders, whose grandmother Kathy Manke bought the iconic saloon in the 1980s. Flinders also runs Galluci’s Catering and Dock Street Deli on the Thea Foss Waterway. The Spar Cafe had casually served Valhalla Coffee and espresso from a La Marzocco machine for several years, picking up where previous coffee tenants left off. It was always second-fiddle to the restaurant, though, accessible through an open doorway that connects the two spaces.

“‘The space deserves more attention,’” Jordyn Curran recalled Flinders saying. “We were lucky enough to get that phone call.”

For these sisters, born to a longtime Tacoma family and raised near Point Defiance, this was it.

“We were almost terrified!” they laughed, noting the prime location near the buzzing Ruston Way waterfront and its very-Tacoma ties. “Would people trust us?”

“Opening day was pretty wild,” said Emily Curran. Their dad, who they said has dropped by more times than he would probably admit, joked: “‘Did you hire these people to be in here?’”

By mid-July, the two of them — with support from Jordyn’s fiancé, Jeremy — had worked 34 days in a row, arriving just as the sun was peeking above the Cascades to open the shop by 6 a.m. Quickly word spread, but they estimate that about 60 percent of customers have already become regulars. Fielding questions about Tacoma — where to go, what to see — they surmise that roughly one in four are visiting from out of town or state, with a few from around the world.

These conversations are sticking with them.

No longer relegated to hut life, they have embraced their new-but-old cafe vibes. Dangling pothos, potted birds of paradise and one fiddle-leaf fig adorn a 70s-orange loveseat under original schoolhouse pendants. Coffee-table books about Tacoma and “The Beautiful Pacific Northwest” await curious minds. Pastries from Macrina Bakery, Blazing Bagels with locally made cream cheese from Cutting Edge Foods, and vegan/gluten-free bars from Art of Crunch will beckon you to stay a while, should the creative drinks and warmth that defines Curran Coffee not do it for you.

“I couldn’t see myself doing anything else,” said Emily Curran. Her sister followed: “I can’t imagine doing it alone or with anyone else.”

CURRAN COFFEE

▪ 2123 N 30th St., Tacoma, no phone, instagram.com/currancoffee

▪ Monday-Friday 6 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

▪ Details: cozy coffee shop serving Valhalla beans in house lattes, plus Lotus energy drinks and local pastries; extended hours anticipated later this year