Communal Coffee is making its way through the county’s permit system as it prepares to enter North County for the first time. The community-centered coffee shop plans to open this Summer, owner and founder Jennifer Byard told What Now San Diego.
“I’ve been waiting for three years to find the perfect spot in North County,” Byard said. “I’ve looked at a hundred spaces and this is the perfect space for us.”
Byard launched Communal Coffee in North Park four years ago and has since expanded the business to South Park. Both locations offer an array of specialty coffee drinks, gourmet toasts, and bagel sandwiches.
While their house coffee is roasted by San Francisco’s Sightglass Coffee, Communal Coffee has also partnered with San Diego brands like Clay & Craft ceramics, Wyld Blooms florist, and Wayfarer Bread. Now, they plan to take advantage of the new space by expanding their retail services.
“Our Oceanside store will be the grown-up big sister of our other locations,” Byard explained. “We’ll have similar offerings in a bigger and better way. We’ve never had a designated space for our florist before, so we’ll be able to do things we’ve never done before with flowers.”
Byard’s professional background in art and non-profit work inspired Communal Coffee’s mission to offer a welcoming space that fosters community. While the pandemic has limited their event offerings, the coffee shop is known to host “Communal Kids” storytime and a variety of crafting workshops. Byard hopes to bring these events back as soon as possible.
“This space is a really good fit for the community aspect of our business,” Byard said. “We’re not really a take-out business. We want to give people room to stay and play and have fun and that’s how the outdoor space is going to serve us.”
Just one block West of the Pacific Coast Highway and the Oceanside-born brewery Bagby Beer Co., the new Communal Coffee will be a central, walkable destination for locals and beachgoers.
