Morning brew crew — Salt Lake is percolating with coffeehouses

Almost every morning, downtown workers Emily Barlow and Jamie Gerber leave the law firm for which they work and head across the street to Starbucks in Gallivan Center. Usually, they're in search of a chai latte or, now that fall has arrived, a pumpkin spice latte.

Barlow and Gerber, a legal secretary and receptionist for Eisenberg Gilchrist & Morton, are not alone. It's a morning ritual for millions of Americans, who can choose from the more than 24,000 coffeehouses across the country.

Whether grabbing a quick cup and a bite to eat on the way into the office or taking a morning break with colleagues, downtown Salt Lake City has plenty to offer when the time comes for a caffeinated pick-me-up.

In its unscientific survey of area coffeehouses, the Deseret Morning News found 13 locations between First Avenue and 600 South and 500 East and West Temple. The shops vary in size and style, and their prices and selection vary. Of the coffee shops visited by the Morning News, the price for a 20-ounce cup of drip coffee ranged from $1.75 to $2.50.

Of course, the choices expand greatly when factoring in the many fast-food locations, convenience stores, bakeries and full-service restaurants within the same approximate 2-square-mile radius.

The locations appeal to different types of customers, usually based on where they work and live and how they want to receive their morning brew. Folks looking to grab it and go often visit drive-through locations such as Raw Bean Coffee House on the southwestern edge of downtown or Java Jo's in the Avenues.

On any given morning, cars line up around the small coffee shack on First Avenue and E Street. Co-owner Chad Corbin, who's been selling coffee in the Salt Lake Valley for more than a decade, knows his regulars not by name, but by vehicle.

"We've always had a core group of customers," Corbin said. "By the time they pull up to the window, most of the time we've got their drink ready for them."

Corbin and his brother, Ryan, moved from Idaho in the mid-1990s to start their business. At the time, there were just two other drive-through coffee shops in the area, and the two men believed they had found a largely untapped market.

They opened the window at their Murray shop in January 1996, doing $60 in business that first day. From there, Java Jo's has grown to three locations with two more in the works.

"They're thriving and they're booming and they're constantly busy," Corbin said.