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Winding Down: Caffeine Xx Horror Xx Nostalgia Xx Records
- Niomi Dylan Sass
- 44 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Written and photographed by Niomi Dylan Sass
The perfect coffee shop actually does exist, and I found it! Well, my good friend bestowed the privilege upon me by showing me this place. The Brewed Coffee, located in Avondale, Chicago, is a horror-themed coffee shop that embraces the macabre with a little tongue-in-cheek. Right next door is a music shop that matches the same energy, except when you walk in, it is nostalgia central, Bric-A-Brac Records. I am equally thrilled and chilled that I know of these establishments, but now I fear I may want to spend too much of my check there. The prices are fair, which makes a ghoul like me want to buy more; it’s truly a filthy habit that I don’t anticipate fixing. It felt fitting to write this blog from there, and the vibes were immaculately bloodcurdling, in the best way possible.
THE BREWED COFFEE
The Brewed Coffee shop has a standard menu of coffee, espresso, and teas; however, they have rotating thematic drinks, too. Located at 2843 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL. When I went there to write this blog, they had four special beverages. I did end up buying two of them. Can y'all guess which ones?
The Elvira - A pumpkin mocha
Wassail - Spiced fruit cider
The Firestarter - Chili tangerine latte
Re-Agent - Espresso tonic
In this coffee-filled crypt, there was plenty of space to sit down to enjoy the ambience. They had a couple of booths, tables, and more than a few handfuls of stools located around the establishment. The floor is black and white checkered throughout the premises, the best color combo in my opinion. Up on the walls were new and vintage niche horror movie posters, adding to the spooky atmosphere. Two giant posters they had were of George A. Romero’s Creepshow (1982) and Damien Leone’s Terrifier 3 (2024), which happens to be a top-tier Christmas movie. Wherever there wasn’t an awesome poster, there was other cool painted art, like their mural of classic horror monsters.
What I found most alluring to look at while I was waiting for my order were their jam-packed shelves. They were filled with vintage horror memorabilia, knick-knacks, collectables, and limited-edition merchandise that takes you on a nostalgia train. It felt like I was playing the most epic game of I Spy. All of the items are meticulously placed, giving each shelf the feel of a specific exhibition for those iconic monsters on display. I challenge you to zoom into the photo and find something that’s a throwback you forgot about, and comment below.
If you are someone who is a fan of horror trivia nights, then you are in luck! They host “Deep Cuts Horror Trivia” nights every month. The last one was November 20th, and I sadly couldn’t make it because of the production I was in. However, the next one is December 18th at 7:30 pm, where you can “test your knowledge of thrills, chills, and kills, in film and TV.” This is during winter break and a day I do not work, so you can most assuredly find me there that night. The barista did say to come a bit early because the space tends to fill up. Hearing that made me more excited to go. This sounds like a great opportunity to meet other people who eat this genre up as much as I do.
BRIC-A-BRAC RECORDS
Following the black and white checkered floor through the doors that connect the two establishments to another, you’ll land inside of Bric-A-Brac Records. Located at 2845 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL. They are most known for their “punk, junk, and rock ' n ' roll." This is a spot where you can find the newest vinyl records, and ones you didn’t even know existed, but will be glad that they do. Also, some forgotten merchandise and action figures that I only ever saw at horror conventions. I honestly never wanted to work at a place so badly before.
I had to take a glance at their Christmas album section since ‘tis the season, or whatever. There are some bangers I have to go back to buy when I get paid, if I’m lucky enough that they’re still there. It’s The Care Bears Christmas Album and The Haunted House Party: The Spirit Of Christmas. I would definitely have those playing on repeat throughout my apartment this holiday season.
The decorations in there matched the same energy from their sister coffee house next door. They have some really cool bookcases in here filled with collectible action figures. Seeing these made me wish I had an afternoon to sit there and play with them all, and get carried away into a world of imagination, like when we were kids. There is an entire shelf of Beanie Babies, which were the Labubu’s of the 90’s and early 2000’s. Sarah Michelle Gellar, Buffy from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, has a collection of these cute plushies. To my joyous surprise, the adorable stuffed pets only cost three to five dollars, and yes, I bought one.
In the back section of this store lived an arcade game that took me back to some of my earliest memories. It’s the Simpsons Arcade Game, which is a single-player to multi-player fighting game. This giant machine was at any pizza place with a section to play arcade games, and seeing it was like finding your old favorite t-shirt. You can choose to play as either Homer, Marge, Bart, or Lisa. Each of the Simpsons has their own unique fighting style that correlates with their character personality type. I have never gotten the chance to beat this game because once you run out of lives, you have to put more quarters in to keep playing. As a child, you only have so many quarters. However, they must have overrode the price of that machine, and it is absolutely free to play it.
There was an abundance of old DVDs, VHS, and cassette tapes for sale in the same area as the arcade machine. It is kind of shocking to me that they have these items for sale at a very reasonable price. Some people would pay an exponential amount of money for a nostalgic item from their childhood. Above it all was a mural, painted in 80s fashion, of famous horror actors like Vincent Price and Cassandra Peterson (Elvira, Mistress of the Dark).
I would ten out of ten recommend checking out The Brewed Coffee for your next caffeine fix. Then go next door to Bric-A-Brac Records and vibe out to the vintage aesthetics while searching for your new favorite album. Please, please, please, buy one of the Beanie Babies on your way out and give them all the homes they deserve.
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