Today’s the day. After more than a year of rigorous planning and construction on a key block in Camdentown — the North Minneapolis neighborhood spearheaded by natural born entrepreneur Houston White — The Get Down Coffee Co. cafe is finally open.
Part of a broader plan that includes White’s long-running eponymous fashion line and a barbershop named Fresh, which is set to reopen in February 2022, it’s not just another garden-variety place to grab a cortado and scone. (Though admittedly, we’ve got our eyes on Quince‘s seasonal fruit turnovers and chocolate espresso poundcake.)
As White explained in an in-depth Minnesota Monthly interview with Minnevangelist’s Andrew Parks earlier this year, The Get Down is inspired by hip-hop music and its tight-knit community. Especially the early days—an era that broke down sociocultural barriers and spilled over to everything from the pop-and-lock electro of Kraftwerk to the neon-tinged new-wave of Blondie.
“If you came up through the ’80s,” White said, “you were informed and inspired by hip-hop in some way. Art and culture was a uniter no matter who you were—white, Black, Asian, gay, straight.
He continued, “My whole ethos is ‘human connection is the most powerful force in nature.’ Our differences make us dope.”
For more on The Get Down’s menu (sweet potato latte, anyone?), holistic approach to coffee and community, and the Dogwood Coffee partnership that helped get the brand’s in-house bean line off the ground and into the hands of head roaster C.J. Porter Born, head over to minnesotamonthly.com.
The Get Down Coffee Co.
1500 N. 44th Ave., Minneapolis, MN; no phone.
