Walk in to Nostalgia for a cup of coffee and a calm place to study. Located on 248 E. 100 South, this pleasant, spacious coffee shop is a comforting place to drink, hang out with friends or read a book.
Downtown Salt Lake City is stocked with booming local businesses. The culture and customer loyalty of Salt Lake tend to fuel the businesses of these regular coffee shops, like Nostalgia, and restaurants and bakeries.
Nostalgia welcomes groups of friends or single visitors. This hip, Bohemian-styled coffee shop creates an atmosphere that makes it easy to want to return.
“Our goal is to make it really welcoming,” said Candice Garner, night manager of Nostalgia.
And the shop succeeds. The cozy area, wooden tables and chairs add to the overall snugness of the shop. Becoming “a home away from home,” Nostalgia provides the comfort of home as well as supplying coffee, tea and a large selection of made-to-order food.
While the weather is still nice, tables are set outside for customers to enjoy the fresh air. But as the weather starts to cool, customers can take a step inside and find a spot on one of the couches or aforementioned wooden chairs. They can grab a book from the antique-looking bookshelf or take a flyer about local events from the couch-side table. But before they do all of that, they can grab a drink and some food from the baristas who are prepared to take orders in the back.
And no need to worry about being crunched in line — there is plenty of breathing space between the counter and the rest of the shop.
Not only does Nostalgia provide locally-roasted brew of coffee and tea, but also sweet hot chocolate, pastries, savory sandwiches and lunch meals. Garner said they sell mostly coffee since it’s only $2 with free refills. People come in to grab a coffee, then find a place to sit and study, do homework or read. She said they also sell a lot of dirty chai tea, as well as the Gobbler sandwich and vegan macaroni and cheese.
The place provides a quiet atmosphere apart from the soft murmurings of customers and the cool jazz music playing in the background. But such sounds contribute to the overall setting of the shop, giving Nostalgia its individual downtown feel.
Because of this blend of coffee and comfort, people keep coming back.
“Most of our customers are regulars,” Garner said.
The comforting thing about Nostalgia is that it’s not full of excessive decorations. There are mirrors, furniture and trinkets here and there, but it doesn’t feel cluttered. Simple and hip are the words to describe this quintessential local coffee shop.