Broad Street Coffee Roasters

Eat At Joe's is apparently moving up in the world: we got our first press release today.  Alas, the news was for ill: Broad Street Coffee Roasters is closing its doors.  Here's the scoop from Our Man On Pettigrew Street: 

After nearly 25 years of serving the Research Triangle Area and the Southeastern US, the venerable Broad Street Coffee Roasters closed its doors on Friday, October 22.  Originally founded in the 1980s, Broad Street Coffee Roasters pioneered the specialty coffee industry in the Southeast; its founder and President, Larry Hayes, was one of the earliest presidents of the Specialty Coffee Association of America, the major trade group for gourmet coffees.  At one time Broad Street Coffee Roasters was the largest supplier of specialty coffee in North Carolina, and many of the Triangle's most famous restaurants opened with it.  Originally started in Carrboro, NC, Broad Street Coffee Roasters has filled the Downtown Durham, NC area for the last ten years with the intoxicating aroma of roasting coffee.

Terry Mancour, former VP of Broad Street Coffee Roasters, cited "unavoidable circumstances" that forced the closing.  While not naming specifics, he mentioned last year's closing of Fowler's [now re-opened -- Ed.], as well as a dramatic increase in competition and higher transportation and health care costs, as factors in the decision.  "We're not happy with this outcome, but we did everything we could to stay open.  We fought the good fight, against overwhelming odds and brutal competition, and in the end we just didn't have what was needed to survive.  In a way, we are a victim of our own success: most of our major competitors are former Broad Street people.  I want to thank the thousands of customers and consumers who have expressed their support and given us their business over the years.  Broad Street was a genuine Triangle institution, and it kills me that it's over."

Comments

[Joe]

Thanks to my inside source, I scooped the local paper on this by a day. :) But no more free coffee for Joe. :(

[Kira]

Awwww....what is Terry doing now, then?

[Chris P.]

It's not necessarily a bad thing; over time, their coffee became less than mediocre (one of the main reasons Counter Culture was able to secure many of Broad Street's clients) and Larry became less stable and less well-liked by his clients and customers (including at Cafe Driade in Chapel Hill).

Working at Crook's Corner in the late 1990s, we felt compelled to switch over to Counter Culture coffee because one day the beans we ordered would be burnt, the nest day still green (i.e. unroasted). Plus, Larry would get mad at US instead of at himself or his employees when we brought the problem(s) up to him.

So, screw 'em ... let him go paint over a mural in downtown Carrboro in retaliation ... OH WAIT! HE ALREADY DID THAT!

cheers!

[Joe]

Yeah, my understanding is that Larry was really a piece of work. I can't count how many people he seemed to alienate. I've heard of people who said they'd switch back to BSCR as soon as Larry didn't have anything to do with it anymore. And he wanted to make money off the business and its 3 or so employees while he lived elsewhere and didn't do any work. But the business seemed to be improving for a while (except for the fact that payroll taxes were never paid -- same thing that got the 2nd incarnation of Fowler's), and they didn't roast the hell out of all their coffee. I liked the coffee I got out of BSCR (admittedly I got my pick). The person who was the last roaster, Mark Leatherwood, is now roasting for Open Eye (Carrboro Coffee Company).

By the way, there's now a business in Durham called Broad Street Cafe. They don't roast coffee, but they sell it. :) They're not related to the previous business mentioned in this post. I've edited the post so that it says "Broad Street Coffee Roasters" everywhere; maybe that will help avoid confusion. And thank God they're actually on Broad Street. :)

[cricketann]

I was a barista at the Carrboro shop in the early 1990s. I'm sorry to hear of this sad decline. Larry was always a kind boss to me. He provided health care for us lowly baristas and a competitive wage considering the position and the area. It was one of the few times in my 20's when I actually had health insurance. I left when I moved out of state.

[Joe]

Hey, thanks. I'm glad to hear some positive feedback about the guy.

OT: I went by Carrboro Coffee Company a while back because I thought they might have some coffee I liked: their roaster person is Mark Leatherwood, who previously worked for BSCR. Unfortunately, despite asking for a light roast, the coffee I was directed to by the barista (I think Mark wasn't there) was, well, not particularly my cup of tea. :/

[Christopher Sutch]

As someone who worked at Broad Street from 1986 till 1994, I can only say that the true story of the company will forever remain a mystery to those who choose to think of it. Now that Fred Houk is no longer among the living maybe it is time for some to speak out more about it's history, the real facts of which have never come to light. Both Mr. Hayes and Mr. Houk provided the highest quality coffee and expertise to the Triangle and beyond, at a fair price. I choose to keep my thoughts to myself, and to remember that the essence of my experience with both of these gentlemen was quite that of a very fine thing. Since the public will never know the truth it would be advisable to think kindly and fondly of both of them.

[Terry Mancour]

BSCR had a number of different chapters to its story, and I was only there for the final one. While I wasn't there during the Big Break Up, I dealt with its aftermath up close and personal -- and dealt with Larry in some of his less-inspiring moments. I also had to deal with a business model that was pathologically flawed and fundamentally doomed. When Larry started BSCR there was no Specialty Coffee to speak of in the Triangle. When BSCR closed, almost exactly three years ago from this very day, there were competitors everywhere we looked. The irony was, even though our coffee when we closed was largely superior to our competitors (because Roastmaster Mark Leatherwood is a freakin' god, especially on a Barth) we were usually being out-competed by former employees. Not just Fred, but many, many BSCR alums went on to compete against us. The market was too great for even a few companies to dominate -- unfortunately, we were too debt ridden, under capitalized, and did not enjoy enough support to capitalize on the many opportunities that arose. It was one of the saddest days of my life when BSCR closed, and someday I'll commit my personal memories of my time there to writing.

That being said, there is no doubt that Larry Hayes was a coffee pioneer, a visionary, and a true Triangle character. I learned an awful lot about the coffee industry from Larry.

[Bill]

My interaction with BSCR ended in the late 1990s but up until that time the company produced great coffee and had passionate employees. Fred Houk, Chris S., Chris H., Dane N. and many others -they loved coffee and loved spreading "the word". The company was doomed, however, by an owner who bled the company dry and made poor business decisions. I give credit where credit it due- Larry Hayes had good ideas but he never followed through as he should have. And unfortunately he enjoyed living the life of a "gentleman of leisure" a little to much and -let's face it- there were serious doubts about the man's stability. Such a shame because Broad Street was really the first to bring good coffee to the restaurants and consumers of the NC Triangle area. It could have been huge. On the bright side it did open the door for the burgeoning coffee/cafe industry in the region and spawned companies such as Counter Culture (founded by Fred Houk). Several employees went on to open cafes and Caroline Cahan became the coffee guru at A Southern Season. It's sad the company is gone but it certainly made it's mark.

[Joe]

Bill: Thanks for stopping by. I'm amazed at how many people have come by and left comments about BSCR. And they're still doing it over three years after the place has closed. I didn't know Larry, but I sure miss the coffee. :)

[Terry O'Gara]

Stumbled here searching for fellow alumn from my era @ BSCR. I worked at Broad Street for about three years after high school from 1983 or '84 to 1987. Larry Hayes was a gentleman-retailer, even then, but he was also very hands-on in my day. I remember him as an obsessive when it came to both product quality and service, and equally meticulous in regards to retail appearance. The first roaster I worked with was a woman named Janet. I don't know how long her employment preceded mine; she may have been the shop's first roaster. I'm pretty sure I was the first dedicated BSCR barista, since my own employment dovetailed the purchase of the espresso machine. Janet left after about six months. Conflicts with Larry, of course. She was followed by a young Brazilian fellow whose name I now unfortunately forget. I want to say Antonio, but I’m probably wrong. At any rate, he was a master, as was the standard for all BSCR roasters. I’m guessing Fred Houk arrived after the Brazilian left, and perhaps even learned how to roast from him? That would have been 1987. Christopher Sutch, judging from the dates you list, we must have worked together for a year, but I don't remember you unless you were working at the time primarily in wine, or maybe you came aboard after I started working part time? I do recall two Jims, maybe someone could help me remember last names: Jim #1 was an avid wine enthusiast and headed up wine sales. Jim #2 was the store's overall manager, a New York City transplant with credentials that included a management position at The Plaza Hotel. Jim #2 created the blend for Hotel Europa. My own little claim to fame was creating a best seller in the day named Concerto. We all used to get a kick out of it when we heard the fine folks at A Southern Season were getting requests for our blends from their customers. I also worked alongside two men who shared the name Robert. Robert #1 worked only in wine as a second job as a way to increase his knowledge of the subject. It was sort of a hobby for him. Robert #2 was another kid, a year or two older than me, a UNC poli sci major from Asheville, NC who also waited tables at Crook's Corner. Anyway, very good times for coffee obsessives and fine food enthusiasts. Everybody there taught this kid a great deal about great coffee, great wine, great food and great retail. I would really love to know whatever became of the original gas-fired antique roaster used at the time. Did it make it past the end of the eighties or was it replaced? Or sold? To whom? It produced the best coffee I've had in my life – regardless of bean origin– and twenty years later I still dream about it. So, if it’s still being used, please post where it is, because someone will surely gain a new customer in me.

[Joe Eater]

Terry - maybe one of my, um, sources can tell you what happened to the company's assets. I can't, because I never worked there: I was just a hanger-on. But thanks for the information.

I still think the best damn coffee I've ever had in my life came via Fowler's from BSCR: it was a Kawai peaberry from about 1996. We bought the stuff in the largest bags we could get it in. We tried to get it again a couple years later, but it just wasn't the same. Wasn't even the same Fowler's by then. :)

[*]

larry yea i remember him; something happened; but carrboro ain't known as the city of broken dreams for nothing; now its a cess-pool o fags and illegal aliens and dope money laundry boys who think they're clever; wow...but its dangerous to be 1980s-90s clever when losers like me can spill the beans in public for anybody to see. but itll have to be somebody outside the corruptos of carrboro; leets see...they got a lesbo police chief a fag on the council who used to be mayor a state representative who marches yearly in the fag parade...yea, itll take some outside boys to pull the plug on that cesspool...or else nature will just let the rot keep rotting until the illegals can all vote in hispanics with good catholic values; yea, the dems have played the fags at the national level; voter fraud for the party at the national level. but i guarantee the fags in carrboro are making damned sure the illegals cant vote them out at the local level..."make sure they vote straight dem ticket..."

[*]

too much of the truth, huh? delete this one too before anyone gets curious like maybe various federal agencies about to take a new tack to keep the order for a new game master; gee, i wonder how the militant lefties coming into power will feel about all them dope dealin'corrupters of the proletariat?
take a look at what they do in the peoples republic of china; you know china. thats the boys holding all our bad paper and we just keep printing more. ok. now that the west is laid low staggered by incomprehensible corruption ethically and morally, the boys holding all the equity know one thing and thats whats good for business and what isnt; corruption of the scale we've seen is about to end and end very hard. and there wont be any place much in the new order about to come down for the same old crowd; a new crowd from very far away is already in place and beginning to deal a new hand with the folks who live where all those wonderful coffee beans come from...get the idea? maybe the coffee "merchants" from the seventies and eighties and nineties can get a job recycling cardboard and aluminum cans; theres plenty of shopping carts out in the woods; all you got to do is look; hey, you might even find a couple of them poor souls that got mixed up in the wrong way with "product". maybe they'll have a few things they'd like to adress since thy're starting to wake up right about now. yep, that old wheel keeps turning and vengeance truly does belong to the Lord. have fun.

[Joe Eater]

Actually, your previous comment seemed to have nothing at all to do with the post in question (which is four years old and about a failed, no-longer-extant business). However, I didn't actually fully delete it, despite its needlessly offensive comments about many things other than the former BSCR. (The only thing tying it to the post was the name "larry.") Going on about Carrboro is even less useful: BSCR hadn't been in Carrboro for how long? Your more recent comment seems even less germane.

Tell you what: I'll put your comment back if you can tell me what it had to do with anything on this blog. (There: it's back.) God forbid I offend. However...

This blog is mostly about food and Durham, not politics and paranoia. As it's my blog, I'll put up what I like, and take down what I want to, including spam, off-topic comments, and flaming. If you want somewhere to complain anonymously and freely about "a cess-pool o fags and illegal aliens and dope money laundry boys," "federal agencies about to take a new tack to keep the order for a new game master," or whether "vengeance truly does belong to the Lord," perhaps you could find somewhere else? I'll continue to take down what I think isn't appropriate; if I need to, I'll start approving comments, ban anonymous comments, and do whatever else I want. But for now I'll put your comment back.

Perhaps some of my readers could express an opinion -- independently of mine -- about what you're talking about, and whether it belongs here (independently of me having spent money and time working on this project of mine for the past 4 or 5 years)? And perhaps you could give yourself a name -- pseudonym or not -- so I know to whom I'm talking?

[barry]

motherfucker needs to start his own blog for that shit.

freedom of speech and all that.

[Arthur, King of the Britons]

Ooh, Joe has a troll! And Joe has questions like: (1) And perhaps you could give yourself a name, (2) Perhaps some of my readers could express an opinion -- independently of mine -- about what you're talking about?, and (3) BSCR hadn't been in Carrboro for how long?

Gee... So why am I thinking of the Holy Grail? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWS8Mg-JWSg

o.k. lts see. you want what? my name? har har. for what? who am I? who knows. who the hell are you? who knows. I could be adressing just about anybody. wait a minute. I am. its the internet. the world wide web. what a great name. truth in advertising. that about as much honesty as you are going to get. from me or anybody else. its virtual familiarity. hey, its been the era of instant credit, instant achievment, instant high; a crack cocaine economy, the perfect metaphor talismanic substance for a country whored to the bottom line---a bottom line that makes no room for any virtue other than being alive. but alive for what? yes, the internet. one. zero. something. nothing. a lie. the truth. better know which is which and what is what. and better be prepared to know what to do about it...and even, esecially, what not to do about it.

enough.
but I'll tell you this: there is a positive value in anonymity that has been understood and practised historically for historically positive reason beyond reproach. we are entering into just such a time in whats left of the U S of A. see, whats just happened with the election of the poster boy is the inevitable end of a traduction begun decades ago. things like identity and sovereignty and even equity and right and wrong are not really to be derived from the "democratic process" anymore. thats all window dressing now, an afterthought/automatic response that means nothing---like a greeter at wal-mart; (which is what obama really is, politically speaking, in the clearing house of democracy that U S of A has become; he's the logical and horribly fitting president for a nation reduced seduced and traduced to the lowest common denominator---and I'll let you figure out what that is, okay?) there's no exclusivity anymore, except what was always there which is what has to be anywhere where equity is being played out in a positive or, unfortunately as now, negative way (for america)which is to say and to say historically---judgementally. yep, down but not out is what I'd say. down but not out. not yet. not quite yet. theres yet a breath left. and a breath, a true breath, is the strongest thing.

wow ... Hijacked up the wazoo! ..

I miss Broad Street coffee ... the place was nearly the last of its kind. Reminded me of a Dr. Suess factory of some kind, you put in the what's and get out the who's. Larry was an old friend of mine so im going to be anonymous too.

[Joe Eater]

Hey, it's always fun around here. :)

I don't mind people being anonymous: if I did, I'd disallow anonymous posting. What I like is telling people apart, and attaching monikers to commenters, even if the name is a pseudonym. Having 30 people with no names is as bad as 30 people all called Joe. :)

[onlymyhairdresserknows]

I'm the original anonymous with the postings about "things that dont belong here" acording to "joe" who MUST be who he says he is because he vaporised my original post aand then had the awesome power to restore same; the joe giveth and the joe taketh away and the joe giveth back. ok.

anyway, politics has nothing to do with durham? how could that possibly be? maybe he means fraud and depravity have nothing to do with durham? maybe he just means that he would rather fraud and depravity have nothing to do with durham. too late! the world done been borned a long time ago. I say, a looong time ago. but dont despair: good food and good times are not to be dismnissed, even by the ersatz-marxists emboldened by the installment of the obama poster boy. so lets talk food and such; groceries: whole foods grocery store is going down; quality down, personnel down; sanitation waaay down...and dangerously so...had the bug lately?

tooo bad, its another institution taken over and run by game, not by principle. so expect less and less for more and more until the formula cant milk anybody anymore, and then its into quiet receivership and a shell that even more questionable PERSONES will use to milk not only whatever public they can corral but any gov't program via other questionable PERSONES that have wormed their way into positions for which they are qualified only on account of their PERSONE-ness and not that lovely transcending thing known as.....principle...a.k.a. equity...and even (gasp) righteousness.

yea, whole foods...appealing, tasty and tempting but not satisfying; I always felt like I was in some "moonie" cult-owned enterprise that has a very tight leash--complete with choker---on each and every one of their employees. I imagine they have little "sessions" regularly wherein "team members" are encouraged to "confess faults" to one another...and to of course "engage in constructive criticism" of other team members...hey, its for the team, man; and ultimately...for the community! sieg heil! long live the glorious flowering of a hundred vegetables! the chairman desires only our continual happiness! obey your team leader; revere your obergruppenfuhrer! whole foods, whole people, whole planet...whole bullshit.

I got to go. sweethearts, but you prisoners at whole foods have recourse: report all unsanitary conditions to your state and federal agency concerned with same: health, safety and even immigration. yes, its for the community; yours, while you still have one. and here's the big news: you're always going to have one, a community that is, just what sort is the question. and that is up to you. fuck being a "team member" be a citizen for your own country whose right principles highjacked by opportunists and idiots have conspired/congealed to bring a devouring horde to your doorstep; they want your house and you out of it. better drop the dime and make the call. its for the children, ma'am.

[sealwhiskers]

Ban this troll Joe. He gets a hard on from you even addressing his existence, that's what he lives for. You'll never get anything civil or smart from him. Give him the sack, there's no point, it's your turf here. As a reader, he bores me, and that's the worst part of it.

[onlymyhairdresserknows]

hard-ons? beautiful women? oh well. thats off topic--but... i didn't have to come up with any "stash" to make it happen. but thats if I want to get into what your world is all about... I dont. hey, lets talk food and who knows how to make it and how not to make it. some of the best wine I ever had was kroger cost-cutter wine; two bucks a bottle and a bag of tangerines and spaghetti, etc. not bad.. dont care what anyone says; waffle house of a 3.a.m. sunday through wednesday night breakfast two eggs scrambled toast and cofeee and grits...really good.

[Geology Byotch]

Your troll sounds strangely like Michael Peterson (who was a closet male child pornography nutter). Did you know that trolls suffer from smallage of appendages, at least mentally, and that makes them so narky? They want attention, and like a bratty four year old who wants his mommy's attention, or a psychotic ex who was dumped for being a crap person, will get it anyway it can, and usually by being offensive. Cowards do not reveal their true identity if possible. Native American saying: A coward shoots with his eyes shut.
The best tactic, unfortunately, is to ignore trolls/psychotic ex's/bratty children. I love you, Joe. Happy Holidays.

[Joe Eater]

I doubt Michael Peterson has net.access from prison. The owls are not what they seem.

[onlymyhairdresserknows]

yes. the owls. the trial that never should have been; but one wasnt enough so they had another one; why not? it pays to a point of return for certain concerned with same. but only with them concerned with same; the citizenry is not considered; what keeps and creates a citizenry worth being amongst is not considered. why? because the gov't top to bottom is staffed by perniciously hateful "advocates" who have nothing but contempt for what liberty really is because they are threatened by what liberty really is and especially threatened by what it takes to keep liberty-- for the individual and for the individual in the public space; and they are threatened why? because they do not possess the ability to discern and retain and act upon the verities of existence (that if ignored have a way of doubling back to bite and devour not only assets but the very principle that creates and keeps assets). so we have people of appetite and opportunity in positions of authority and influence rather than principled persons of prescient ability. durham is, civically and politically, just one more urban area engaged in and engaged by the controlled murder of the goose that lays the golden egg.

and one of the posters here says I have said nothing---the one who reacts to my comments with fifth grade (at best) verbage: like a comic with no real material who "shocks" his audience with the (ab)originality of profanity and pornography. wow. he cant discredit me or refute me logically or legitimately so he slanders me with filth designed to discredit me as a human being---he drops the nuke of "child porn"--- like a ten year old at a chess game who takes the queen out for a spin because its seemingly beyond command of any other power on the board. beware the knights and castles. I'd say forget about the bishops, but some of them are queens or think they are so you might be undone by having to contend with them. my advice: play the game by the rules that are rules because they are cognisant of and careful for the positive possibilities of instruction to be derived thereof. food for thought? who has a thought for food, as in: is there left yet a quiet place to eat decently in durham where people can smoke if they so choose and linger a bit to enjoy the peace of the place?

[Larry Hayes]

Do you have a moment for a post from Larry Hayes, his own self?

[Joe Eater]

Larry - Why not? Knock yourself out....

[Larry Hayes]

Okay, Joe, I now understand that you are not truly legitimate. You operate a rigged game where you can automatically delete what you don't feel like passing on, like you took away my second post. I figured the third post would be the charm but your interest seems to be to continue to mis-represent the facts by continuing to foster a bunch of drivel that you aprrove of because it makes you feel fine about yourself. Get over it!

[Joe Eater]

Larry - I don't know what you're talking about. There's no comment listed from you other than the two that are up here, and nothing accidentally caught by the spam filter. Like I said, if you want to post a comment, go ahead. You've succeeded with two so far. :)