Our Spot Coffee—the outright innovative coffee pop-up that has seen residencies at Noble Rotisserie, followed by one at Liv’s, another at Wine on 2nd, and now currently at Let’s Yolk About It—has finally reached the goal owners Chris and Ali McColl have been trying to score across the past three years: a brick-and-mortar.
That next chapter arrives at 2221 Palo Verde Ave., where Our Spot will open its first true brick-and-mortar. (And yes, it is inside a now-shuttered Starbucks, making the move-in all the more locally sweet.) It is a milestone that signals not simply expansion, but the end of a long period of proving that a concept built through residencies can become something lasting.
For Chris, Our Spot Coffee has always existed with a kind of deliberate impermanence—an idea moving from counter to counter, neighborhood to neighborhood, building its following one residency at a time while quietly refining what coffee in Long Beach could become. For a business that has built itself through temporary homes, each one shaping its identity in different ways, the new address carries unusual weight: it is less a beginning than a culmination of everything Chris has tested along the way.
The beginning of Our Spot Coffee in Long Beach
When Our Spot first emerged inside Noble Rotisserie at 2nd & PCH, it immediately felt unlike most coffee projects in the city. Chris and Ali were not simply pouring espresso. Rather, they were presenting coffee through the lens of a chef and a bartender simultaneously, treating reductions, clarified syrups, sous-vide brews, and layered flavor structures as naturally as milk steaming.
Drinks like a coffee negroni, strawberry-forward espresso builds, and tonic-based concoctions announced that this was not another standard pop-up—it was an argument for coffee as a broader ingredient, one capable of carrying complexity without losing accessibility.
That first residency also established something equally important: audience trust.
Customers returned not only because the drinks were inventive, but because McColl openly explained process, sourcing, pricing, and philosophy—what he often calls a “fourth wave” approach to coffee, where transparency matters as much as creativity. It was an extension of his own journey through specialty coffee, shaped by years in the industry and sharpened by a desire to strip away the pretense that often shadows coffee culture.
The plan for Our Spot Coffee’s first brick-and-mortar…
Set near the Interstate 405 corridor and surrounded by residential neighborhoods, student traffic, and daily commuters, the forthcoming shop has been conceived as a modern third space—one where someone grabbing a quick morning coffee, a student settling in for hours, and a neighborhood regular all feel equally at ease.
That balance matters deeply to the McColls because, in their eyes, much of today’s coffee world has split into extremes: highly polished specialty spaces that can feel distant or intimidating, and high-volume cafés where speed often takes priority over care. Their answer is not to reject either side entirely, but to create something more thoughtful in between.
“I am really looking forward to catering to our base as well as our new customers: our commuters, the people who like a bigger size and people who like the convenience of like ordering ahead and coming in to pick up,” Chris said. “On one hand: I’m really excited to offer this very elevated experience, having the bar seating, having flights and Omakase offerings… But also you can order a large latte and have it ready for pickup alongside your breakfast.”
This juxtaposition—understanding there was a former Starbucks that catered to basic needs and the desire to uplift and evolve coffee—has long defined Our Spot Coffee.
The Our Spot approach? Less jargon, more hospitality.
Its approach to specialty coffee leans less on jargon and more on hospitality: informed service without pretension, drinks made with care but presented without intimidation, and a menu designed to invite curiosity rather than gatekeep it.
The beverage program will reflect that philosophy. Familiar classics remain foundational, but each is expected to arrive refined through stronger sourcing, cleaner execution, and a sharper attention to detail. Alongside those staples, the menu will introduce seasonal drinks built around fresh ingredients, tasting flights, non-alcoholic cocktails, and more experimental offerings shaped directly by the bar team.
There is also a deliberate desire to create moments that encourage guests to stay rather than simply pass through. And that intention extends into the room itself.
“The space is being shaped to feel elevated without losing warmth,” Chris said. “Intimate bar seating. Open sightlines. Warm materials. And a color palette designed to make the café feel distinct without feeling staged. During daytime hours, it is meant to function as a neighborhood anchor. By late afternoon and early evening, the tone shifts—quieter, slower, and leaning into a more intimate atmosphere built around zero-proof cocktails and conversation.”
The idea is simple: come for coffee, stay because the space feels good to be in. That operational clarity comes from years spent inside the industry.
Operationally, Our Spot has always been transparent
Before Long Beach, Chris helped build and operate Little Lunch Coffee, the Venice café that developed a strong reputation while generating more than $1.2M annually. He also worked closely with Nudae Coffee, helping scale the Costa Mesa business during its early stages. Combined with multiple other café openings, those experiences now shape nearly every decision behind Our Spot—from staffing to service flow to revenue planning.
That planning remains intentionally cautious.
“Rather than chasing rapid expansion, our business model really leans on multiple steady revenue streams,” Chris said. “Daily café sales. Afternoon and evening non-alcoholic beverage programming. Curated merchandise. Future wholesale opportunities. Consulting. Ticketed events… The emphasis is less on fast growth and more on building something sustainable enough to last.”
Even the launch reflects that mindset. Lease finalization, permitting, build-out, staff training, a soft opening period, and the first ninety days of programming are all being treated as critical phases rather than boxes to rush through.
“Given Starbucks already operated as a coffee shop, we’re pretty certain we can get open by late July—let’s hope,” Chris said.
For now, though, the goal is immediate and local: to create a place that feels honest, comfortable, and worth returning to. A coffee shop, yes—but also a room where Long Beach can settle in.
And in many ways, that makes the name finally literal. After years of borrowing corners of other people’s spaces, Our Spot is becoming exactly that: its own place in Long Beach.
Our Spot Coffee will be located at 2221 Palos Verde Ave. and is expected to open in late July.
