Atomic Coffee

This week we said a final goodbye to one of those customers who comes in so often and regularly that they feel like family. We have had the pleasure of serving Paul for decades. He gets mentioned when interviewing for new staff, as all of our regulars are a very important part of our mission.

Paul quickly becomes every new staff’s favorite. In fact, many other evening regulars got to know and love him over the years. He was kind, consistent, reliable, and always wanted to put a smile on your face. When he would arrive to an empty shop he would say things like: “I don’t know how I’m going to find a spot to sit” or “you need me to get the crowd under control?” He came in every evening for a plain black cup of coffee.

When he passed away a couple of weeks ago our barista poured him a cup and put it in “his” spot. Paul - there will always be a cup of black coffee and a spot reserved for you in each of our hearts. ❤️😢😭

Did you know that May is MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS month? We’ve been giving out stickers to help spread awareness and fight the stigma surrounding mental health.

We’ve also been distributing 988 sleeves on our coffee cups the past couple of weeks. We want people to know there is always someone to listen to your struggles and that no matter how isolated you may feel, you are never alone.

We think our artist of the month, Ethan Hinton, was the perfect choice for May. His photography is about the beauty we can find in everyday life. He finds this in the seemingly mundane objects, or settings, when taking the time to pause.

We encourage you to check in with loved ones, smile at a stranger, or extend a hand to a neighbor this month. Maybe even set up a coffee date with a friend to check out our artist of the month and try one of the drinks on our spring menu.🫶🏼

As someone who has volunteered with RACC for nearly a decade, we’ve had the chance to see the impact of their work up close.

Today, we’re sharing something important: The R**e and Abuse Crisis Center is now Sollera.

While the name is new, the work remains deeply rooted in advocacy, support, and walking alongside victim-survivors with care.

This new brand helps to encompass the full scope of their work and ensure that language isn’t a barrier for people who don’t see their own experience in the words r**e, abuse, crisis.

Worth knowing. Worth supporting.

Learn more at sollera.org

Let us introduce you to another drink from our spring menu - the Dirty Earl. This café latte is made with our house-made Earl grey syrup. Delicious notes of Bergamot taste divine combined with espresso and milk (available hot or iced).

So how does this one tie into our feelings?!? 😬The word EARL originally denoted a man of noble rank. While we may have no kings in this country, it still seems like quite a few high ranking people are very dirty. We could be referring to the Epstein files, or the fact that our administration seems to be selling off bits and pieces of land to the highest bidder regardless of the consequences.

The U.S. Senate has voted (50-49) to overturn a 20-year ban on mining on about 350 square miles of federal land near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Mining that land is likely to turn our “land of 10,000 lakes” into “land of 10,000 pools of death.”

Let’s keep the loons in Minnesota and get the loons out of office!

✨ Meet our artist of the month ✨

We’ve had the honor of watching Camille grow as an artist over the years. We first met her when she was an 18 year old wanting to make some extra money as a barista while teaching dancing classes at a local studio. Soon she expressed her love of ALL things artsy - it’s woven into her soul. Shortly after she held her first art show here at Atomic featuring some fun paintings. Take a look at the last slide for a piece from that show and another when she was known as buttershins 👀

Writing this post makes us teary eyed. 🥹 To know Camille is such a privilege. Her art hangs up in our own home, as well as many friend’s homes who also met her through her time at Atomic. Her art adorns our body and many others who have, or currently do, work here. We feel so blessed that now her art also brightens up our window, and our hearts, when we walk by the beautiful painting she created for us ⚛️

We held a private reception for her earlier this month where she mentioned feeling very thankful for all the connections Atomic has given her. We feel equally, if not more, blessed to have her in our lives and to be witness to her beautiful soul. We encourage you to reach out to her with inquiries on tattoos (perhaps a tribal piece featured), window paintings or purchasing one of her pieces up on our walls. ✨