Today we’d like to introduce you to Douglas and Liz Davis.
Douglas and Liz, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Murray Street Coffee Shop just celebrated its 15th anniversary confirming its status as a contemporary institution in the historical Deep Ellum neighborhood of Dallas. Located in the residential area of Deep Ellum, the mission of the Shop has always been to serve as a community nexus, where the artists, engineers, musicians, students, and general free spirits that live and work in the area could meet and catch up.
Liz and I come from technology backgrounds. When our daughter was accepted into the Booker T Washington School for The Performing and Visual Arts, we decided to relocate from North Dallas to Downtown to reset our lifestyle. Seeing there was not the kind of coffee shop in the area that we would want to hang at, we created one ourselves. Armed with a desired aesthetic and enthusiasm but devoid of relevant work experience, we recognized the risks and hoped for the best. Needless to say, we have had our trials and learned a lot And had tremendous community support to keep the business open.
While the Shop has never been financially lucrative, the friendships we have forged and the experiences we have gained as a result of this business have profoundly and positively affected our lives. With the commercial and residential boom Deep Ellum has experienced, 2019 was a strong year and we were excited about the growth prospects for 2020. Like everyone, the pandemic has had a profound impact on the business and our lives. Combined with the property being damaged by the marauders that looted Deep Ellum during the recent BLM protests, we have definitely been staggered financially and psychologically. But we are doing our best to keep the doors open and provide some normalcy to the neighborhood while the pandemic runs its course and the new normal is established.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
To say it has not been a smooth road understates the case. The neighborhood was headed into a reputational decline when we opened, and then, of course, there was the recession of the late aughts. In fact, we were faced with a financial challenge that threatened to close our doors at one point. Concerned customers organized a crowd-funding campaign and in the course of a weekend, the money was raised that was required to meet the obligations and save the business. This was several years ago before these kinds of efforts were common. It was a humbling, gratifying, and validating experience. Of course, now we, like many businesses all over the nation are facing an existential threat from the pandemic.
Murray Street Coffee Shop – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are a small cafe with daytime hours. Of course, we serve excellent coffee and espresso-based beverages, featuring beans sourced from local roasters. We have a small but very creative menu for breakfast and lunch. With limited storage space and a scale that doesn’t appeal to institutional suppliers, we found our footing in sourcing fresh ingredients daily from local markets and artisanal suppliers. By far, our most popular item is a breakfast sandwich we call the Blinker. We also have had the pleasure of being supported by an extraordinary staff, and the relationships we have with many of our customers run deep.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
This is such a good question and one that we are constantly assessing. Of course, we are looking for financial stability as a baseline definition. But money is not the ultimate measure of success. Personal relationships, new adventures, and opportunities to learn are what make for a truly rich and successful life.
This all came into sharp focus for me when we experienced that crowd-funding effort by customers to keep us open. I received a call from a magazine called Success that had heard about the story and wanted to hear more about it. As I told the reporter at the time, the irony is not lost on me that a publication called Success calling me because my customers saved my business. But as I said then, in fact, that is a very definition of success on a profound level.
Contact Info:
- Address: 103 Murray Street
Dallas, Texas 752226 - Website: www.murraystreetcoffee.com
- Phone: 214-655-2808
- Email: info@murraystreetcoffee.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/murraystreet
Image Credit:
Bruno@snapthepicture.com took the image of Madison jumping on the skateboard
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