The Magazine Street Pop-Up at Imperial Woodpecker Snowballs

In the fall of 2016, CR Coffee set up a pop-up at Imperial Woodpecker Snowballs on Magazine Street. The snowball stand closes for the winter months, which gave Kevin and Ashley an opportunity to test the waters in the Garden District with a walk-up coffee window.

The pop-up opened around November 1st and ran through Lent in spring 2017. It was a simple setup — tables outside, a walk-up window, and Coast Roast coffee. They served the full espresso drink menu, iced coffee, and hot coffee. When the weather got cold, the hot coffee was the draw. When it was warm, people traveled from across the city for the iced coffee.

Nonna Randazzo's king cakes were a key part of the pop-up, especially during Carnival season. The combination of fresh Coast Roast coffee and Randazzo's king cakes brought steady traffic from the Uptown and Garden District neighborhoods. Kevin also experimented with goat milk from a local farm as a dairy option during the winter months.

The response from the Magazine Street community made one thing clear: this neighborhood wanted a permanent coffee shop. That pop-up planted the seed for what would eventually become the Magazine Street flagship at 3618 Magazine Street.