This story is featured in CityBeat's April 3 print edition.
Well-known local coffee roasters La Terza have expanded their footprint and opened a brick-and-mortar business called Luminary by La Terza in the College Hill neighborhood. Since 2001, La Terza has roasted high-quality, specialty coffee for wholesale and other coffee shops, but in June of 2023, they started a new adventure at 6128 Hamilton Ave.
The location may be familiar to some, as it was previously home to the community staple College Hill Coffee Company for over 40 years. In the spring of 2023, the owner of College Hill Coffee Company decided to retire but wanted to pass the space along to another business that wanted to run it as a coffee shop, so she reached out to the owners of La Terza to see if they would be interested.
While opening a coffee shop had always been a dream, they weren't necessarily looking for an opportunity at that moment. "We kind of figured that dream of owning a coffee shop was further down the road," said Kirsten Zook, one of the owners of Luminary by La Terza. But this offer was too good to pass up. "It felt serendipitous," said Zook. "We just felt like it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. It was the right opportunity at the right time."
Zook, her husband Robert Gatesi, and brothers David and Michael Gaines took ownership of the location in March 2023 and spent the next three months renovating the space to bring their vision to life. During the pandemic, the owner of College Hill Coffee Company pivoted and turned the sit-down coffee shop into a gift shop, so the team spent the next few months turning it into a place of their own. For the space's design and aesthetic, the shop's name inspired them with its double meaning: being a light source and a historical luminary as someone who inspires. "We played off it being a light, bright, spacious and open building," said Zook.
The shop's walls are a neutral creamy white, and the ceiling is a serene sky blue. There are tables scattered throughout the shop that can seat around 50 people, couches and a window bar that overlooks the street. To further the feeling of warmth and light, the shop has a lighting system that changes the colors of the light fixtures depending on the time of day. While they gave the space a facelift, they kept its historic charm with the original woodwork and a copper bar top.
The owner's children inspired another popular area in the shop: a family-friendly space filled with games, toys, art supplies and a lending library. "There are six children between all the people who own the shop," said Zook. "We quickly learned while we were renovating that we needed somewhere for them to play while we were here." After visiting the location recently, a local woodworker reached out and made spinning wood top toys and dropped them off at the coffee shop for kids to play with.
While many changes have been made to the space, one important aspect of the former College Hill Coffee Company remains the same: a focus on community and warmth. "Where I feel like we've tried to integrate things is with the spirit of the previous shop," said Zook. "It's always been a very warm and inclusive place, and letting the community guide what happens."
Along with the main seating area, there is a semi-private table in the back open to the space, but that can be closed off with floating shelves to provide privacy. Since its opening, many groups in the community, including book clubs, knitting groups and nonprofits, have used the coffee shop as a meeting space after regular business hours. "The community has come to us for a lot of things," said Zook. The location has also hosted live music, open mic nights, spoken word poetry events and listening sessions for the neighborhood. Outside of being an owner, Zook works in public health and enjoys being able to bring both worlds together. "It's been really kind of a dream come true to me to be able to merge my public health work with the local community," she said.
And let's not forget about the coffee. The mainstay menu of drinks are brewed using La Terza’s roasted coffee beans, and include classic coffee shop options like cappuccinos, mochas, drip and pour-over coffees and house cold and nitro cold brews. In addition to the permanent menu, there’s also a rotating selection of seasonal beverages that changes every two to three months that Zook says are customer favorites. The most recent spring seasonal menu features a Peep latte flavored with a roasted marshmallow syrup, and a floral lavender chai that’s made with lavender syrup. For non-coffee drinkers, the menu offers a selection of teas and hot chocolate. There are also bagged varieties of La Terza’s specialty roasted coffee bean blends that are available for purchase.
Since the space had a full kitchen, the owners wanted to embrace that and offer food along with drinks. Zook describes the menu as an "ever-evolving process," offering a selection of pastries and baked goods (all products are made in-house except the gluten-free options, which are outsourced to a gluten-free certified bakery) and a light breakfast and lunch menu that includes soups, salads and sandwiches. And while they are experimenting with different food menu options, the foundation of the business will always be coffee. "The heart of what we do is coffee, and we want to make sure that it's first and foremost a coffee shop," said Zook.
Since opening in June, Zook has felt the neighborhood's welcoming and positive response. With all the excitement and enthusiasm for the coffee shop, she and the rest of the owners are making it a point to nail down running a brick-and-mortar location before planning too many events. "That's probably been one of our biggest challenges: just taking this one step at a time and not trying to do everything all at the same time," she said. "Everyone's really excited, which is a beautiful thing, but I don't want to do it all poorly."
For now, she's enjoying this new venture for the coffee roasters and creating a safe and welcoming space for the community and guests. "I really created this space to be somewhere if you want to come at 8 in the morning, sit down with your laptop, and stay until we close, you're welcome to stay all day," said Zook.
Luminary by La Terza, 6128 Hamilton Ave., College Hill. More info: luminarybylaterza.com.
