Copper Moon Coffee Is Downtown's Best-Kept Secret

For eight years, Copper Moon has been a cool kids club, says owner James Orlando. Tucked away in the lobby of the Statler Arms apartment complex, on the corner of East 14th Street and Euclid Avenue, the downtown coffee shop served in-the-know clientele, mostly consisting of the building’s residents and neighborhood professionals. “The cool kids club was 100-percent intentional,” says Orlando. “Completely tucked away, it was a way for me to vet good customers.” But now, the cool kids club is accepting members. In March, Copper Moon got some new digs. Moving from inside the lobby, the new storefront faces Euclid Avenue, and has its own entrance under the Statler’s marquee to the left of its main doors. More than a larger and more prominent location, it represents a coming-out party for the hidden neighborhood gem. “So far what I’ve learned is I can’t be so casual with everyone,” says the personable but wry barista. “People visiting from out of town or more prudent people don’t have the humor and skin that people around here do. So I’ve got to be a little more delicate. But I still spend time personalizing each drink.” Here’s everything you need to know about the new-to-you coffee shop.

Second Time’s The Charm. At 21 years old, Orlando bought Truffles Pastry Shop. The business blossomed around his house-made cheesecakes, muffins, cookies and biscotti. But long hours and crime in the Edgewater neighborhood took a toll. Orlando’s garden was constantly ripped up, and his predominantly gay clientele harassed. In 2009, an incident turned violent. While defending a customer who had been called a slur, Orlando was robbed at gunpoint. “I had enough on my plate and didn’t need the chaos,” says Orlando, who closed Truffles in 2010. “That was the beginning of the end.”

Building the Cool Kids Club. In 2011, he opened Copper Moon, where he’s created a fun, conversational environment that boasts an 85% return rate among customers over the last seven years. He’s kept people coming back by fostering a community of coffee enthusiasts as interested in chatting with the owner or fellow sippers as they are in the locally sourced coffee from Caruso’s Coffee in Brecksville. “I watched a whole culture blossom in front of my face,” says the 36-year-old. “It consisted mostly of motivated young people and cool older people that work in the city. It was nice to watch.”

Orlando Knows What You Want. Customers typically don’t know what they want, says Orlando. Luckily, he’s an expert at getting in your head. First, on a scale of 1-10, how caffeinated do you like it? Sweet, semi-sweet or not sweet? Regardless, we suggest the Cleveland Toddy ($2.35), an iced red-eye made from French-pressed, cold-brew Turkish coffee and topped with shots of espresso, that gives you a delicious jolt of energy. “I try not to have a usual drink so I can remember what everything tastes like,” he says. “I like new people’s expressions when they come here and they try something new, and I actually impress them.”