One of San Jose's most popular coffee shops not only survived the pandemic, but is now expanding to take over the old Spartan Deli at the MLK Library.
The owner of Nirvana Soul, the city's first Black-owned coffee shop, is amazed by the success over the 20 years she has been in the industry.
"I definitely want to see more Black businesses in San Jose," Nirvana Soul owner Jeronica Macey said. "I think when I opened up I wasn't thinking 'Oh, Black-owned coffee shop.' I'm just a person that loves coffee and knew I was going to open up a coffee shop."
Macey credits her success to hard work and determination.
Nirvana Soul is thriving in a downtown that lost much of its foot traffic. The shop touts its cultural footprint featuring music, local artists on its wall and open mic events on Thursday and Fridays.
The coffee shop also has a location in Cupertino.
Macey will open up Nirvana Soul's new shop at the MLK Library in the fall.
"It's a huge deal," she said. "I'm speechless. It's crazy."
Macey hopes the San Jose State University shop will allow students, especially students of color, to see themselves in her success and dream big.
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