Several years ago Bret and I came up with the idea of the 4th Ave Food Park…. but that’s for another post. For the coffee bar at the Food Park we knew we wanted to do a ‘different’ type, or non-traditional style, of coffee shop. We definitely didn’t want to do a sit down coffee shop in one of the spaces. We wanted a place where people could get coffee, sit outside, put their phones down, and TALK to each other. For this location, we didn’t want people sitting inside on their phones and laptops all day.

Our original plan was to do a coffee shop in a decked out storage container but the city requirements for infrastructure and utilities made it too costly. After a brainstorming session for alternative options, Roaster Mike came up with a shiny retro Airstream. Whenever an exciting project gets started I did what I always do: I went into full planning mode by looking at Airstreams by day and researching Airstream renovations by night. One night on youtube I came across a family in Texas that had started a renovation, but due to their life goals changing, needed to sell it. I emailed him that night, flew to Dallas 2 weeks later, and made a down payment for finishing the buildout of the Airstream. 3 Months later we towed it back to Gainesville, FL where it has become a fixture of the Food Park.

We have a special drink series for the Airstream: The Adventure Series. The beverages highlight all of the places that our 1976 Airstream has ventured to. Built in California, the Airstream has ventured to Canada, Glacier National Park, the Ozarks, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, and many other adventures. Our Adventure Series of beverages highlight these travels by including ingredients such as Canadian Maple Syrup, Raspberries from the Ozarks, Mexican Chili Chocolate, Horchata, and Pineapples.

Right now we’re open 7 days a week, 7am-5pm. Fridays and Saturdays we stay open until 9pm.

Visiting the Airstream is like going on an adventure. Bring a blanket or some beach chairs and enjoy the oasis of the 4th Ave Food Park. The Food Park can be found online at 4thavefoodpark.com.