Mulberry Street Coffeehouse
193 James Street North,
Hamilton, ON
Now if you love Hamilton, we know you love James St N. It’s artistic and filled with fun stores, yummy restaurants and interesting art galleries.
James St N also used to house a laundry mat in a beautiful brick building. But now you don’t have to visit the corner of Mulberry and James St N just to wash your clothes – you can go for a coffee, a cupcake, some art and it’s a good place to get some work done.
Mulberry Street Coffeehouse is the perfect place for dates, freelancers, artists, moms, dads, kids … well, anybody.
Logo
Their outdoor sign was made by local artists ‘Dave Hind and The Aluminum Quilting Society’ – we love it! We checked out The Aluminum Quilting Society’s ‘Carnival Commanders’ show at De Facto at Mulberry (the gallery side of the cafe) before the sign was up and completely admired their work. The sign is uber creative and sticks with Mulberry’s brand of supporting local artists. They seem to have switched over all their logos on their social media sites to a picture of the steel works sign. Different – but we like it. (We would love to see a brightened up picture though! It’s a bit dim on their website/facebook/twitter.)
Food Review
Well we both had the Iced Peach Green Tea, and if you’ve read our other blogs you are probably starting to see a trend. Or a problem. Yes, we both love tea.
Anyways, it was cold. It was tea. We drank it real fast.
Lindsay also spotted a vegan double chocolate chip oatmeal cookie. Now if you’re a struggling vegan like Lindsay (darn cheese) anything double chocolate is heaven. How Heather managed to snap a picture of it before Lindsay scarfed it down we’ll never know.
*Tip: They have their liquor license. And the only thing almost as good as tea is craft beer! (In our humble opinion.)
Atmosphere
Mulberry is one of our favorite places to walk into because you get hit right smack in the forehead with their brand.
Chandeliers, cracked mosaic floors and hand-written black board menu – it is everything you would come to expect from shabby chic. A green vintage couch is paired with a 70’s maroon couch and a tarnished coffee table. Tables on the De Facto side (gallery side) have beautiful silver legs paired with mismatched chairs. Actually, almost everything Mulberry is mismatched – is this the island of misfit furniture?
When you walk in at the corner entrance you are greeted by a friendly smile and a bar filled with cookies, cupcakes and other baked goodies. And there is an array of drinks to choose from.
There are also multiple seating areas. Right now the both of us are sitting in Mulberry working at the couch seating. It’s a lot like sitting at home in our living room working – except without the distraction of our video-game playing boyfriends.
You have a room off of the “living room” that is filled with 70s looking booths and crystal chandeliers. The main room sports few tables with a high window table and bar stools covered in gorgeous burlap fabric. They also have great outdoor patio seating.
When you turn the corner you enter De Facto at Mulberry – an art gallery attached to the café. It has the bright crisp walls you expect from an art gallery with modern lighting.
They have plugs for our computers, free Wi-Fi and an artistic atmosphere that keeps our minds flowing. Great for freelancers and artists alike.
Brand
We think Mulberry is vintage-bohemian. With its vintage couches, beautiful crown molding and original exposed brick, you feel the warmth of original Hamilton. Filled inside is just as much original but more artistic – the patrons and staff of Mulberry street are what you would expect from a café in Woodstock. Long flowered skirts, Geek chic glasses and a friendly smile. You can come here to work, to read, to think or to make friends.
Now Mulberry isn’t hipster. It’s not that kid who tries too hard to impress you. You know those kids. The ones who invite you over to look at their vinyl collection but won’t let you touch it. And forget asking them about it. They’ve been hoarding them in their room but we both know they have no idea who 3/4s of them are. Hipsters.
We think Mulberry is that hippie chick you see riding on her bike down James St N. She’s friendly. She’ll stop to tell you a joke. And she’s more interested in learning about you than showing off. That’s the part we love about Mulberry. They love their city and they love local artists. As we mentioned, their sign outside was made by Hamilton artists ‘The Aluminum Quilting Society’.
In all, Mulberry loves Hamilton. Hamilton loves Mulberry.
Social Media Campaign
Great amount of community followers and pretty good communication. They don’t post everyday but about 2-3 days. Twitter is the same deal, but more retweets than original posts. We think it could be amped up a bit. Also wish their social media handles were all the same – but they were still easy enough to find. In all, thumbs up.
Facebook: Mulberry Street Coffeehouse
Twitter: @MulberryCoffee
Instagram: @Mulbs
Website: www.mulberrystreet.ca
Recommendations
Would love to see a more in-depth website. People go to Facebook for connecting and websites for information. Things about the food, free Wi-Fi, photos of seating and information about the art gallery would be beneficial.
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