Nestled on the corner of Springfield and Cambridge St. in Inman Square, 1369 Coffeehouse is
home to an eclectic community of neighborhood characters. A range of 20 somethings artists
and musicians weave together with retired police officers and fire chiefs. Young MIT kids with serious eyebrows and giant textbooks sit next to new moms with toddlers and giant strollers.
Couples who have been coming in weekly since the store opened share the space with people on awkward but beautiful first OKCupid dates.
Founded in January of 1993, in the former home of 1369 Jazz Club, this coffeehouse can have lines out the door on a summer Sunday but also feels like a cozy, worn in living room. Sleek is not a word you will ever feel here.This feeling is fostered by the current owner Josh Gerber, who said he loves numerous things about the coffeehouse, but “Primarily the people. The sense of community amongst the staff and neighborhood.” For 1369, community can mean a remembered favorite order, participating in an Inman Square movie night, hosting a local musician, or volunteering. The people who work behind the bar care about each other and their neighborhood. Taste any
of the drinks and you know they care about coffee as well. Try the damn fine cold brew (buy it by the refillable growler if you can’t get enough). The toddy rests for 24 hours before being served. They will send a kind and groovy hipster to deliver your growler by bike if you can’t make it to the store. A ten minute walk from Central Square (where 1369 has a second location), make it out to Inman for the good coffee and good people.

Caitlin Thornbrugh