What started in 2023 as a pop-up coffee cart inside Full Tank Food Park, a concept from Danny Newman, Moonflower is now a permanent fixture and the sole business operating out of the space.
Full Tank is no more, though Moonflower hopes to have food cart pop-ups in the future.
Along with full support from Newman, who owns the building and is also the owner of My Brother's Bar and the Mercury Cafe, Moonflower owners Sam Salomon and Jason Haygarth have spent the past year working on what turned out to be a pretty big project. From re-zoning the building, getting the appropriate permits, working with an architect and then construction and delays, the arduous process left the couple fairly spent. So they were relieved to finally have the go-ahead to reopen.
"All this work we’ve been doing is just to get to the starting line and we’re almost there," says Haygarth. "The amount of work that goes in behind the scenes can feel like there's no reward and seems never-ending. We were losing our confidence after such a long process, and it was our first time going through it. We feel so lucky to be here and that we’re here to stay."
In addition to a coffee bar holding two espresso machines, Moonflower also added running water, refrigerators, an ice machine and HVAC. "It was full coffee shop menu and full coffee shop volume," says Haygarth, but now the shop has the tools to operate at that level, without having to Doordash for supplies like milk and ice on the daily as it was before.
Much of the charm of the space came from exposed brick and natural light from the garage door inherited from its past life as a tire shop, accented by velvet furniture and lots of plants. "Our goal was to try and refine what was already there, so we kept all of the brick elements and brought in a designer who's a vintage collector," says Haygarth. "We want to have this cozy conversation den effect, but people still come and work comfortably with warm and cozy vintage elements." They also paved the patio for additional outdoor seating.
Moonflower serves drinks made with coffee from Servant Coffee Roasters and offers flavors inspired by Salomon and Haygarth's Asian heritages, like the ube latte that was our pick for Best Specialty Coffee Drink in 2024. Now, with a full espresso bar and more staff, Moonflower hopes to take its creativity even further by exploring the textured coffee trend with infused cold foams and diving into mocktails.
Moonflower is still partnered with Suzette Bakery and Cafe in Edgewater for fresh pastries and hopes to bring in more food options via food trucks and other pop-ups in the future.
It also hopes to be a community gathering space, starting with its grand opening this weekend which includes pop-ups and a block party to celebrate its reopening. Normal hours begin Saturday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., with vendors like the Uptown & Humboldt food truck, Sweet Rice Flour, Kream Kimchi, Rag2swagg and Colorado Cocoa Pod on site from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. From 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday night, join Moonflower for a block party sponsored by Dram and Ratio Beerworks with food from Mukja Food Truck plus a DJ spinning records. Vendors on Sunday include Taeko-San Takeout, Arise Baking Company, and Rag2swagg.
Now, with two espresso machines and refrigerators, Moonflower can serve at capacity.
Moonflower Coffee
"Community has been our biggest motivator— the connections we’ve made out here have been so important to us," says Salomon.
Moonflower is located at 4200 West Colfax Avenue and will be open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday, but keep an eye out for after-hours events and pop-ups in the future. For more information, visit moonflowercoffee.co.
