Walking through a little yellow door that read, “better, together,” people lined up at 8 a.m. Friday inside an eclectic shop decorated with painted skateboards and green checkered floors.
The teams behind Lowbar coffee and Bushel & Peck bakery combined forces to open a brick-and-mortar cafe on Friday at 1001 NW Fifth Ave.
On Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., the shop saw hundreds of Gainesville community members getting their espresso fix complemented by fresh pastries. It’ll be open the same hours weekly.
Lowbar served up simple espresso shots and specialty flavors like Earl Grey cappuccinos and orange cream lattes. Bushel & Peck presented black chocolate passionfruit cake, ham and gruyere pretzels, sweet potato cinnamon rolls and more.
Jade Lavan, a 20-year-old UF philosophy and art history senior, said the vibe is chill, indie, welcoming and relaxing.
“It’s literally saving my whole life,” Lavan said after tasting the jalapeno cheddar pastry and Earl Grey cappuccino.
Customers are greeted with a butter yellow exterior and a door leading into a deep red hallway. Through another door, the main space features sage green walls, evergreen- and white-checkered floors and lollipop-shaped light fixtures.
The seating arrangement includes benches made from reclaimed wood and white chairs. A cake refrigerator reads, “352-900-CAKE,” and Sanremo espresso machines line the counter.
The coffee shop’s name is a play off of one of the owners’ names. Ryan Barlow, a 33-year-old Gainesville native, recalled his high school friends nicknaming him “Lowbar.” The name eventually became a testament to starting something from nothing.
He said he and his partner started the coffee project with a couple of sheets of plywood to build a sign and coffee truck counter and poured their savings into a few secondhand espresso machines.
After working for Blue Bottle Coffee, a specialty coffee concept in San Francisco, Barlow lived intermittently between California and Gainesville. He started Lowbar out of a bicycle trailer in 2021 to sponsor skateboarding events and donate products.
“The more the coffee business is successful,” Barlow said, “the more the skate community can be successful.”
He moved back to Gainesville permanently in December 2023, bringing light roast espresso with him — sourcing from premium roasters like Resident Coffee Roasters. For the grand opening, Lowbar used one of Resident’s signature blends, Big Shot.
Last fall, Barlow decided he was going to get a full-time job and shut the coffee pop-ups down. He was ready to streamline his work and enjoy steady healthcare benefits. Instead, he joined forces with the 27-year-old founder of Bushel & Peck, Peyton Agliata.
Less than three months later, the team opened its renovated building.
“From not a Gainesville native, I feel like this is what the vibe of Gainesville is,” said Callie Tipton, a 21-year-old UF pre-dental junior. She said she found the shop off of an Instagram post and was impressed by the sweet potato cinnamon roll and hot latte she ordered.
One of the founders of Resident and Wyatt’s Coffee, 29-year-old Gabriel Chavez, said he came to support the owners. He used to taste-test new recipes from Agliata, who was previously the bakery director at Wyatt’s.
He said his favorite item was the fig and goat cheese scone, which is one of the best things he’s ever eaten. He’s excited to get it every week, he said, and it’s amazing to see Barlow and Agliata succeed.
“From the moment we opened the door, the smell immediately made you hungry,” Chavez said. “It brought me back to memories of coming into Wyatt’s first thing in the morning and Peyton batching stuff out.”
Barlow’s partner, Vivi Lowery, designed the interior and architecture of Resident Coffee Roaster’s brick-and-mortar shop that opened last April. She was the brains behind the design for this Lowbar and Bushel & Peck building, too.
Shelton Seraphin, the 34-year-old owner of Germain’s and The Dunbar, came out to support the grand opening as well. Lowbar used to hold skate events with its 1990 Honda coffee truck outside of Germain’s.
“It brings value to the neighborhood, and it’s just something we look forward for,” Seraphin said.
Barlow said they’re definitely going to open for at least one more day soon on top of their normal weekend hours. For the future, he said they might open a second location with a larger skate shop to hold events.
Contact Summer Johnston at sjohnston@alligator.org. Follow her on X @summerajohnston.
