Louisville can’t seem to get enough roast-y beans bursting with caffeine. We’ve got enough latte spots to give half the state caffeine jitters, but there’s always room for more java. Like any craft beverage, the base may be the same but flavors and characteristics vary. An Americano from Please & Thank You most certainly doesn’t taste like one from Quills; different beans for different fiends.
Press on Market opened February of this year, but isn’t necessarily the new kid on the block. This “first rate” coffee house is the “return to roots project,” according to owner, Bruce Lake. Those original roots lie in what was Anchorage Café. Lake and his family ran Anchorage Cafe originally as an espresso bar, and eventually it transformed into a full-blown restaurant over the years. “We had a great five years, but the original aspiration was to be a first rate coffee house,” says Lake, “This location [Press on Market] offered us a chance to get back to our roots. Our baristas are certainly happy to be baristas again.”
Located on the corner of Market and Floyd, Press on Market takes up space in the UofL-affiliated Nucleus Research Park. Press is independently owned, but is a “focal meeting point for the Nucleus,” says Bruce. However, the corner location is one that invites the community at large: something Bruce says was “critically important” when choosing a space.
Inside, Press brims with natural light. The interior is simple, elegant and open. “We didn’t want to fill every nook and cranny,” says Bruce. However, they did fill a modest glass cabinet full of locally-baked treats like, Klaus’s croissants, Nancy’s bagels, tasty eats from Breakworks. On Saturday, they have Nord’s doughnuts!
The bright openness of Press, mixed with the sweet pleasure of freshly-ingested caffeine, is conducive to collaboration. In a couple of weeks when Louisville warms up, Press' courtyard will open: featuring a plant wall, fire pit, planters, and bistro furniture.
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