Something new is brewing in Downtown St. Louis: On Fri., Sept. 25, Coffeestamp celebrated the soft opening of its third location.
The local coffee company’s new Downtown café, located at 1228 Washington Avenue, is designed not simply as a place to grab a cup of coffee, but as a gathering space for the people who live, work, and spend time in the heart of the city.
For co-owner Patrick Clapp, who operates the business with his brother, Spencer Clapp, opening Coffeestamp’s third location in Downtown St. Louis is an opportunity to become part of the neighborhood’s growing momentum. As he explored possible locations, he spent more time walking Downtown, visiting local restaurants, and getting to know the area. The more he saw, the more he wanted Coffeestamp to be a part of the neighborhood.
“Every day I spent before and after we signed the lease, just walking around, supporting the local restaurants, checking the vibe, I find myself in a place where I wanted to be and where I wanted to be part of the change,” Clapp says. “A lot is happening in Downtown, and we are just excited and very lucky to be part of that movement right now.”
The new café occupies the former Wasabi space on Wash Ave., which Clapp saw as a blank canvas. Tall ceilings, exposed columns, and woodwork became the foundation for a bright, comfortable reimagined space built around one central idea: Give people a reason to stay.
“We wanted to create a space where people wanted to stay, because most coffee shop business is to-go orders, grab and go orders, because everybody’s running,” Clapp says. “We wanted to change that by offering a space where you wanted to spend time with us.”
Clapp worked closely with St. Louis architecture firm Tao + Lee and general contractor and carpenter Josh Howell on the renovation, which transformed the former dark and moody sushi bar space into a bright, welcoming café bathed in natural light, warm tones, and comfy seating that encourages guests to linger. “Once you come in, you’ll see: It’s simple, but also very cozy,” Clapp adds.
That approach fits naturally with how Clapp thinks about Coffeestamp’s role in the neighborhoods it serves. He points to the company’s South Jefferson location as an example: When Coffeestamp first opened there, Clapp says there were few businesses nearby. Today, the surrounding block includes Confluence Kombucha, Greenfinch Theater & Dive, and more.
“There’s a lot of people who work and live in Downtown,” he says. “And it’s changing very fast for the good.”
Coffeestamp’s food and drink menu gives customers another reason to make the café a destination. The Downtown location brings back the choripan, a sausage sandwich with chimichurri that was part of Coffeestamp’s original menu. It also introduces breakfast tacos, including chorizo and plantain versions, and rotating agua frescas in flavors such as tamarind and passionfruit. And Coffeestamp’s empanadas, a customer favorite at the Jefferson and WashU cafes, are plentiful as well.
At the center of the menu and experience, though, is Coffeestamp’s coffee, which reflects the Clapps’ native Honduras. About half of the coffee Coffeestamp roasts and brews comes from Honduras, where Clapp works with lifelong friends and their families to source beans. The company travels there twice a year and works with farmers and the surrounding community, including a local school, Clapp adds.
That relationship was foundational to Coffeestamp. The Clapp brothers began roasting in 2018 in part to help their friends find a better market for their coffee. The Downtown café extends that same emphasis on relationships in the heart of St. Louis.
The brothers signed a five-year lease for the space, and Clapp sees that commitment as part of a broader network of businesses and organizations investing in Downtown. He believes those connections can build momentum across the neighborhood.
“The more hands on deck, the more powerful the momentum will be, and the bigger the impact will be for Downtown and the surrounding areas,” he says.
For Clapp, the future of the café is ultimately tied to the people who walk through its doors. Six months or a year from now, he hopes it will feel increasingly woven into the daily life of Downtown: a place where office workers stop in, residents meet friends, and visitors discover something new about the city.
And he hopes those customers experience something even more memorable beyond the coffee and eats.
“Our team runs on kindness and respect to everybody,” Clapp says. “So, we don’t only offer a product and a space for people to sit, but it’s an experience where you will come in and you’ll be treated like a friend or like a family member.”
