We're spilling the beans: Equator Books on Abbot Kinney has expanded with a coffee bar and is proudly brewing Oakland's beloved Blue Bottle Coffee, one of only two locations serving the NorCal-roasted beans in Southern California.

Bookstore owner Michael Deyermond says coffee was part of his original business plan, but it was difficult to get investors to believe the used books and records store, one of the first retail businesses on the block, would last.

Five years later, after King's Road and Intelligentsia left him dry, Deyermond's bookstore is still thriving and he has happily hooked-up with the popular coffee company, known for its “artisinal microroasting.” The cafe opened yesterday, and offers a variety of espresso and coffee drinks, tea from The Art of Tea, and pastries. Deyermond is hoping Huckleberry will agree to provide baked goods soon. Between the snazzy new Intelligentsia store stocked with Comme Ca scones and croissants, Cake Monkey muffins and cakes, and now Equator's high class Blue Bottle cuppings, Abbot Kinney is becoming one of the top places in the city to get a buzz from a boutique cuppa joe.

Equator Books and Cafe, 1103 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, (310) 399-5544‎

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