Building the Magazine Street Flagship

After the success of the pop-up at Imperial Woodpecker Snowballs, Kevin and Ashley knew Magazine Street needed a permanent CR Coffee location. They found a Victorian shotgun house at 3618 Magazine Street in the Garden District — a real shotgun house, not a reproduction — and the renovation began.

Restoring the building for commercial use while respecting its original character was a significant undertaking. The goal was to keep the bones of the house — the proportions, the flow of the rooms, the architectural details — while adapting it for a working coffee shop. It meant working around existing mantels, fireplaces, and the structure of a 19th-century shotgun.

Patricia David, who owns the fabric store across the street on Magazine, created custom Roman shades for the windows — a neighborhood collaboration that gave the interior a finished, intentional feel. The courtyard patio behind the house became one of the shop's defining features: outdoor seating under willow trees with string lights.

The construction was intensive and Kevin has said it was a period of being up to their eyeballs in renovation work. But the result — a flagship coffee shop that feels like it belongs in the Garden District — was worth every bit of it.