Nirvana Soul, a Black-owned business known for its vibrant pink-painted coffee shops, serves more than just unique brews—it’s a hub for local artists, poets, and musicians to showcase their talents.
Co-founding and sister duo, Be’Anka Ashaolu and Jeronica Macey, whose San Jose coffee shop sits on the corner of South First Street, support local artists through “Nirvana Soul After Dark,” which draws crowds every Friday from 6 to 9 pm Open mic night features a melting pot of poets, musicians, spoken word singers and an audience often packed with friends and passersby.
The founders kept the idea of supporting the community alive after purchasing the former business, Caffe Frascati. Their efforts to support the arts in San Jose also include a constantly rotating feature of local artists on the walls of the coffee shop’s plant-filled flagship location.
Alma Nirvana opened its doors to the public for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic and has gained a reputation as a trendy spot for a daily caffeine fix in the South First Area district known as SoFa. This section of downtown is considered San Jose’s arts, cultural, and entertainment district.
Nirvana Soul employee and San Jose State University student Tyler Campers took over running the open mic nights a few months ago. Campers said that from the day he started he “just fell in love with it.”
“Open mic night is important to Nirvana Soul as a company because our goal is to be inclusive to everyone,” he told San José Spotlight.
“Nirvana Soul After Dark” has created quite a stir, with the list of artist submissions peaking during the school year, often exceeding the allotted three-hour running time.
There is a group of repeat artists who chat with the baristas and other artists after their performance. A man expertly played the piano in the corner of the cafeteria with a mask over his eyes like a blindfold, while a college student, Mia Overbo, strummed the guitar singing an original song.
“The crowd was so welcoming to every performer: poets, songwriters, rappers… everyone watching seemed to have a different style, but they came together collectively to support each other,” Overbo told San José Spotlight after her first open mic performance.
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Not only is the list of artists long, but the crowd and their positive energy seem to fill the entire upper and lower levels of the store. Some audience members even sit on the floor to get the best front row seats on the small built-in stage located in the corner of the large front windows.
Nirvana Soul aims to inspire its community, support the arts and help customers find their own nirvana, Campers said.
Contact Kassia Bonesteel at [email protected] or follow @kekb2004 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
