AUSTIN (KXAN) — Genuine Joe’s Coffeeshop will hold a fundraiser concert Saturday night at what will become its new home at 2200 Justin Lane in Austin.
The coffee shop’s original location at 2001 West Anderson Lane is still open until the end of March. Owner Josh Brown told KXAN in October 2022 that his business had to vacate the 100-year-old building.
It will still be a while before the new location opens, but Brown is intent on keeping the spirit alive.
“It’s going to be a party tomorrow, it’s going to be exciting,” Brown said. “It’s a really good step for us, we need to start making new memories here. And I want the community to start making new memories here.”
Two of the bands performing on Saturday have members who also work at Genuine Joe’s, and Brown will also be performing.
Beyond Saturday’s fundraiser, Genuine Joe’s staff will continue to serve coffee from a trailer at the new location. Brown said that the business won’t have to “go dark” in the interim.
“I think there’s more opportunity for the community that we’ve already created at Genuine Joe’s,” said Meg Cazin, Genuine Joe’s director of communications. “When we move over here, there’s so much more that we can do with other people in our community. A bigger space, just calls for bigger ideas and bigger things that we could do moving forward.”
The new space is significantly larger than the coffeeshop’s original converted farmhouse location. It is an old church school space owned by the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection, and also home to the Brentwood Community Garden.
The new space marks the end of a long search for Brown and the start of a new chapter for his team. It came about through bonds formed at Genuine Joe’s.
“[Reverend Billy Tweedie] had his Bible study at our coffee shop for a long time. We’re both community people, we both provide spaces that offer services to the community,” Brown said. “We’re gonna have a partnership so that we can work together to accentuate our strengths in the community.”
Sweet Bush Vegan Bakery owner Carly Coster sells her baked goods at Genuine Joe’s. She said the initial closing announcement was heartbreaking.
“Even more so than the place that it is, but it’s all the people that were there,” Coster said. “I really feel like it’s a living organism, everyone that comes through there, and there’s just so much energy that comes out of that place.”
“I just want to say thank you to the whole community. There are no obstacles that are going to be too big for all of us working together,” Brown said. “We’ll need to get some dinosaurs in here.”
The original location contains a large amount of dinosaur art and plastic figures, a motif that will likely return to the new location.