The Story Behind the Space:

BLOC COFFEE company

words by T. Daniels

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The Shop at 3101 Price Ave

The old space was warm, but felt well-used, confined, and somewhat inefficient.

The Shop at 3101 from the street

While it was a nice location being on the corner of a main intersection in price hill, the building lacked real charm and curb appeal.

Mr. Harkins Cameo

Our own Rhett Harkins worked managing the bar at BLOC from 2009-2017. He remains on BLOC’s board.

RDM is built on the mission and vision of redeeming space. We want to take old, broken things and make them new. More than that, we want to make them better than they were before. Partners Andy Grear and Rhett Harkins have been interested in seeing that come to fruition in the neighborhood of Price Hill from the company’s inception.

This is the story of that happening at our favorite neighborhood coffee shop.

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There’s a universal reality that people connect over certain aspirations. Sometimes, it’s music. Other times, it’s food. For many, it’s the love of coffee. Don’t be confused - it’s not only the ostentatious that enjoy the beverage and all of it’s connecting power. For thousands of years, coffee has fostered culture. That being a recognized reality, coffee shops naturally started appearing in Cincinnati’s communal landscape as early as 2003. If you know Rhett, one of RDM’s founding partners, you know his deep appreciation for a cappuccino and accompanying conversation. In 2009, Rhett began managing the BLOC coffee shop in it’s original location at 3101 Price ave in Price Hill. The shop immediately filled a community void as a third place, and people across the city gleaned a deep love for the space and the people there.

The Face of the New Shop at 801 Mt. Hope

The new building, after some updates and maintenance work, sports a sort of regality that new buildings are seemingly incapable of.

Constructing the Bar

The oak bar serves as the centerpiece for the room. We wanted to make it simple, sturdy, and functional. The wide grained oak and traditional design help tie it into the buildings classic aesthetic.

The Entryway at 801 Mt. Hope

The new building has updated signage for easy recognition and large, welcoming windows that show off the space’s interior and allow lots of natural light.

The New Space at 801 Mt. Hope

The floor plan keeps the bar efficient, but still allows plenty of room for people to gather. The natural light helps things feel alive in a way they didn’t before. The vaulted ceilings make the space feel expansive and give plenty of room for art.

Wall Mural

To tie the space together, Tanner designed a simple typographic mural to convey the shop’s desired ethos of community. Many shops these days are pulling people in and pushing them out to keep drinks flowing and sales high. BLOC cares more about hospitality and a space to gather.

Behind the Bar

Rhett used his history of knowledge in the service industry to design what we believe to be the epitome of espresso bar layouts. It’s spacious, showing BLOC’s value of product. It’s efficient. It has bar tops on three of the four sides, showcasing their desire for the customers to interact with the staff. After almost a year of use, the baristas are enthralled with the improvements made.

Natural Light & a Community Table

Along with the renovations, we were also able to build all of the new tables at the shop.

(And also the custom oak bar)

The 12 foot long community table serves as the centerpiece and encourages people to meet and share a work/social place, and hopefully, life.

The View from the Front Door

Not long after the shops initial launch, problems with the space were identified. Other than being aesthetically heavy, the bar’s workflow proved challenging during busy hours, and the staff was constantly fighting a battle with cleaning and storage. In 2014, the dreams for a new space began, and in 2018, those hopes became reality when a new location was secured in a historic building right up the street in the Incline District of Price Hill.

While the building was an incredible find for it’s space and location, there were numerous issues. Primarily, it was built in 1899… well before running water or electric as we know it were widely available. A new water main, sprinkler systems, and a total overhaul and renovation were necessary to get things where they needed to be. The staff at BLOC knew they wanted a bar that was efficient, highlighted a focus on customer interaction and a superior product, and still had enough space for the community to interact and convene.

Because of Rhett and Andy’s familiarity with the shop itself and the service industry at large, RDM was the natural choice for someone to partner with on the buildout of the main space. More than practical knowledge though, RDM has a passion for redemption and for the neighborhood of Price Hill.

We were glad to work alongside BLOC Ministries and the staff of the shop to design the layout of the space and to design, build, and install their custom bar into something that met all their needs and was aesthetically inviting.

The best part of this whole thing has been seeing the community delight in a sort of communal living room. This is a place for friends, family, neighbors, and strangers alike.

Do you need some help achieving spatial redemption? Let’s Grab a Coffee. You can contact us here.

Learn more about the shop

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Interested in seeing your space redeemed? Contact us.