Cafe Cortado, a trailer revamped into a coffee shop, offers a taste of European-style coffee with an emphasis on enjoying it in a European-style way; to relax and engage with the community.
Krendi Harmon, owner of Cafe Cortado, established the cafe on May 31 at 221 North St. in downtown San Marcos. Over a month later, the shop has provided San Marcos with a place to enjoy a European-inspired atmosphere and interact with members in the community.
“I was ready to open a business [in San Marcos] because… the other small business owners are super sweet and supportive,” Harmon said. “All of the students are so sweet and supportive. It’s such a good community to open a business in.”
After living in Spain for three years, Harmon decided to open her own coffee shop. In her time there, she observed that Spaniards use their coffee breaks as a time to relax and spend time with friends and family as opposed to the American culture of on-the-go coffee. Harmon wished to establish the same culture of creating a sense of community built simply from enjoying a beverage with loved ones.
“I love coffee, and I wanted other people to be able to experience… the European vibe,” Harmon said. “Coffee is more of a love language, and it’s meant to be shared with others.”
On a sunny Friday morning, Heather Currey, San Marcos local, enjoyed the shop’s cold brew while conversing with her friend, Alexia Gutierrez.
“I think it is a good location… it’ll grow and bring a lot of people together,” Currey said. “I work out at a gym down the street, and there’s already a lot of people in there talking about it too.”
Harmon supports other local coffee shops in San Marcos, including Triple Six Social and The Native Blends, creating a bond between small coffee shops and further enriching community ties in San Marcos. Harmon shares these interactions with other shop owners on her Instagram profile, which has gained nearly 650 followers since its opening. Gutierrez found Cafe Cortado through Instagram, proving that social media coverage aids customer influx.
“I liked all the content [Harmon] produce[s] and it was just another coffee place to check out,” Gutierrez said. “The look [and] vibe was attracting [to me] the most, and [Currey and I] felt like we needed to come try it out.”
Cafe Cortado was made possible due to other local businesses’ support. Germer Insurance Services had space available next to their building and offered the space to Harmon. Palmer’s Restaurant Bar and Courtyard also provided kitchen support to Harmon as she transformed her trailer into a functional coffee shop. The support Harmon received from the community allowed her to carry on her goal of creating the European-style way of enjoying coffee.
“I’ve always wanted to own a little place, and so that’s why we started with the coffee trailer,” Harmon said. “There may be more to come in the future, but for now it’s the coffee trailer [because] it’s easy to manage for me.”
For more information on Cafe Cortado, visit its Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/cafecortado_tx/.
