Antæus and Mika are Opening a Cafe & Bar

Hi all! We are Antæus (he/him) and Mika (he/him), two trans men working together to create a new coffee and bar space powered by queer community and quality tastes! Working together for years in coffee spaces, we’ve found comradery not only around making fantastic drinks but also shared life experience. As we’ve moved into new and exciting spaces in our coffee, restaurant, and bar careers, we found that our true goal is shared: opening a coffee and bar space together.

As much as we are dedicated to bringing great drinks to the public, we both have deep roots in our queer community. Mika has worked in cafes, bars and restaurant management for the past 16+ years, amassing critical acclaim from the US Coffee Championships Coffee In Good Spirits, a Nationally recognized coffee cocktail competition, and been featured in Eater.com, Liquor.com, Barista Magazine, and many more podcasts and blogs as an influential player in the specialty beverage industry. Throughout, Mika has been an out, proud trans individual, consistently prioritizing visibility and making space for those like him. Antæus has worked in bars as a drag performer for 10+ years, performing and producing, as well as garnering deep bonds with queer nightlife and bar culture as a space to find oneself and commune with other queers. As Antæus has expanded into daylight work in coffee shops for the past 6 years, it’s been a pleasure to find new ways to connect over warm coffee and deep conversation.

Moving into owning and operating our own space is our hope in the new year, making this dream we’ve cooked up, a reality. For some transparency around our needs and what you’re contributing to as we begin our journey, here are some of our initial needs:

Rent

Renovations

Materials, such as bar wares, equipment, starting product, etc.

Labor

Licensing

Though our goal may be no small feat, we hope our community will find as much hope and excitement in what we are doing as we do! We are dedicated to making this a reality and want to show our appreciation to you as well! Here are some incentives you can receive for your donations!

$10-$15 receive a coffee beverage!

$20+ to receive a cocktail/mocktail for every $20 you donate up to $100!

$100 to receive a bottle of wine from us and, of course, a cocktail/mocktail!

Keep your proof of donation so you can bring it to the opening!

We are so excited to move towards this goal with all of you in our corner!

Big love,

Antæus & Mika