Offbeat Coffee brings unique coffee, record listening to Salem coffee scene

Off the beaten path from traditional coffee shops, Offbeat Coffee is offering a cafe experience like no other in Salem.

Three years in the making, the new coffee shop is finally open. Plants hang from the ceiling, art is hung and drawn on the walls, and a mix of funky furniture is available to sit on. Head into the next room and take a seat at one of the record listening stations or browse hundreds of records stored on the shelves. Offbeat is not just a spot for food and coffee, but a cozy place to hang out and enjoy music.

The coffee shop is the sister business of Furbish, the salvage store across the street, owned by Joel Cowley. Cowley and his wife, Cindy Cowley, teamed up with Brock Bowers to transform the former moto sports shop into the cafe. The coffee shop was created with the idea to bolster Furbish, displaying pieces from the store so folks will feel inspired to visit. They chose to build out the space themselves, allowing for full creativity.

"We wanted a comfy place that felt eclectic and the designers at Furbish helped build it out," said Bowers, who is in charge of the coffee shop's onsite operations.

Bowers said they are focused on keeping the coffee shop in line with its name, Offbeat. They are also trying to support and bolster the other small businesses in the area, including having the food cart Presto Sando onsite and serving local products.

Unconventional coffee: Espresso on tap

In keeping with being offbeat, Bowers said they chose to not use espresso machines.

Figuring out how to provide coffee without espresso machines seemed like a tall order, but they decided on using concentrated cold brew. Keeping it in kegs, the "espresso on tap," as Bowers put it, was perfected by Nam Nguyen at Archive Coffee Roasters.

The sleek tap system at Offbeat has two spouts, one for a dark roast espresso and the other a light roast.

How can espresso on tap be used to serve hot drinks? Bowers said while it seems counter intuitive to use cold coffee, the espresso itself isn't being reheated. If it was, the coffee flavor and structure would be compromised. Instead, warmed milk or water (depending on the drink) is added.

After trying a hot latte, there is no distinguishable difference from Offbeat's to a standard espresso machine-made latte.

Besides coffee, Offbeat offers tea, beer, wine, kombucha and bubbly water. Seasonal drink specials will be announced later. In one corner is a refrigerator offering free carbonated water as well.

For food, Offbeat offers desserts from Sewell Sweets and pastries from Manna Bakery. For savory options, Presto Sando's food truck is parked behind the cafe.

Presto Sando owner Silvio Franceschi had known Joel and Cindy at Furbish, and when the conversation of opening Offbeat arose, he saw the space and agreed to operate onsite.

The sandwiches offered are pressed, panini style. Presto means "quick" in Italian, which fit for encapsulating the quick service Franceschi aims to offer.

As he builds out the menu, Franceschi said he will be adding appetizers and rotating specials.

Curating Salem's Offbeat Coffee

Upon entering, you may feel like you've entered a cafe in Portland. You'll find yourself taking in the eclectic mix of art on the walls, the mismatched yet cohesive furniture, plants cascading from the ceiling and the retro sound systems and records displayed in the back room.

The front cafe space carries a French bohemian vibe, while the record area has a mid-century modern industrial theme. The back is "randomness," Bowers said.

Even the bathroom has an Alice in Wonderland theme, with two circle mirrors as the eyes of the rabbit painted on the wall.

The front space has plants in macrame planters hanging from the ceiling with some couches. There are individual bar seats by the front windows, and if you look up you'll see a bicycle suspended above the entrance, with the backdrop around the door a painted sunrise.

A record listening space

Why a record listening space? Bowers said having records was a way to tie in with Furbish's vintage furniture theme. And records are "vintage-y." With records seen as trendy again, creating a place to listen to and buy them seemed the perfect component to add, Bowers said.

Four record players with headphones are available to use for any of the hundreds of records available.

A gold throne sits in the corner left of the entrance to the record listening space.

The left and right walls have large bookshelves with unique cubby shapes, filled with records organized by genre and interspersed with books. The front facing wall features large golden framed mirrors of various shapes. The walls are lined with posters of musicians and local artwork, which is available for purchase.

Head down the hall, and you'll find prints of album covers in a grid from floor to ceiling.

The back room is a mix of long tables and cozy couch seating, with a garage door that opens up to Presto Sando.

In time, Bowers said they want to have events like silent discos and listening parties.

"We're not designed like a traditional coffee shop to turn tables," Bowers said. "This place is meant for community, and we want this space to be accepted and made for them."

A grand opening for Offbeat was held on Sunday.

To stay up to date on Offbeat, check out the Instagram page, @offbeat.coffee.

Hours: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Thursday to Saturday; 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sunday

Address: 1190 12th St.

Em Chan covers food and dining at the Statesman Journal. You can reach her at echan@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @catchuptoemily.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Salem's Offbeat Coffee offers cafe experience like no other