Rústico Coffee & Bakery is taking shape at 1312 N. I St. in Tacoma, where two families are preparing to open a new neighborhood coffee shop and bakery. Co-owner Kristin Sierra told What Now Seattle that the team is planning to open in late September or early October.
There are four owners behind Rústico: couples Kristin and Diego Sierra, and Maria Jose Quesada Esquivel and Danny Xavier Cruz.
For Kristin, the project has been years in the making. “I’ve been dreaming about having my own place for a long time,” Sierra said.
Kristin was born and raised in Tacoma and has spent much of her life around coffee shops. Her first job was as a Starbucks barista, and she continued working as a barista through college and graduate school.
She later built a career in education and now works as a high school librarian and teacher. Diego works with small businesses through the credit card processing industry, with a focus on Latino-owned businesses.
The couple had talked about opening a place of their own for years and saved toward the idea before joining forces with Maria Jose and Danny. Their partners bring the baking side of Rústico to the table.
“Our partners are incredibly talented bakers. They were trained in Europe, and everything they make is delicious.”
The menu will draw from all four owners’ backgrounds. Rústico plans to make its pastries from scratch each day, with different cookies and cinnamon rolls, croissants, pain au chocolat, savory items, and other baked goods.
Kristin’s Cuban family background will also influence the menu through items such as pastelitos, and the owners plan to pull from other Latin American traditions as well. Gluten-free and vegan options are also planned.
Coffee will be just one part of the drink menu. With an elementary school across the street and two high schools nearby, the owners also want younger customers to have plenty to choose from. Rústico plans drinks for teenagers, including spritzers and energy drinks, as well as kid-friendly drinks and ice cream.
The location was not a quick decision. Kristin said she and Diego spent about three years looking at possible spaces. They wanted somewhere easy to reach, with free parking and enough foot traffic to become part of people’s routines.
The former Dave’s Meat & Produce building eventually stood out. It sits on Kristin’s commute to work, across from an elementary school and near other schools, businesses, a hospital, and a residential neighborhood. The road also connects Downtown Tacoma with more residential parts of the city.
The building has its own neighborhood history. Before Dave’s Meat & Produce operated there for roughly two decades, it had been a gas station. Kristin said longtime residents have shared stories with her about stopping there for candy, chips, and other treats over the years.
“I love the fact that it’s got that history of just being such a central part of the neighborhood,” Sierra mentioned.
Rústico will be different from the businesses that came before it, but the owners hope it can become another place the neighborhood grows attached to.
The café is being designed as a cozy, cabin-style place where customers can sit with coffee, meet friends, read, bring their kids, or spend some time instead of rushing back out the door.
That approach also fits Kristin’s own relationship with coffee shops. She has spent years using them as places to study, read, and meet friends, and those experiences helped shape what she wants Rústico to become.
Getting the building ready has taken longer than expected. The owners are completing a full build-out that includes new plumbing, a new kitchen, and extensive work throughout the property. They originally hoped to open around the start of the school year, but the project is now pointing toward late September or early October.
The opening itself may also look a little different from a traditional one-day grand opening. Kristin said the owners are considering stretching the celebration over a week, with different specials or activities aimed at families, teenagers, and other groups in the neighborhood.
However it takes shape, Kristin said the goal for Rústico is simple.
“We just want to be known as a warm and welcoming place where everybody is invited to come.”
Follow Rústico Coffee & Bakery on Instagram for construction updates and more details as the opening gets closer.
