A Good Morning, A Great Night: Remembering the Coffee Days at OTPH

There was a time — not all that long ago — when the lights inside Old Town Public House flicked on at 7 a.m., long before the first guitar was tuned or the first pint glass clinked. A time when the smell of freshly ground beans drifted out onto the sidewalk, and a small but mighty crew of early-morning regulars shuffled in with bedhead, laptops, strollers, and stories.

This was Public Grounds Coffee — the little coffee shop tucked inside OTPH, crammed into a space that had no business holding both a bar and an espresso machine, and yet somehow held an entire community.

Back then, gathering at OTPH wasn’t only about alcohol (still isn’t!). It was about the simple magic of people gathering — morning, noon, and night — under the same roof. And for a while, OTPH lived three whole lives a day.

The Early-Morning Crew

We opened those doors at sunrise. A handful of regulars came like clockwork: same seats, same orders, same warm hellos. Parents would swing by after preschool drop-off. Folks on their lunch break grabbed lattes while someone else grabbed a beer. Kids got vanilla steamers that made them feel fancy. And in those hours, OTPH transformed into something soft, slow, and full of light.

The baristas were outstanding — truly the heart of it. They hustled in a tiny space overstuffed with milks, syrups, sugars, cups, lids, carriers, and equipment crammed into every corner. Coffee is a lot (anyone who’s ever worked a bar shift next to an espresso machine knows this), but they made it look effortless.

There was a reputation that formed early: If you wanted a good cup of coffee and a peaceful place to land, OTPH was your spot.

Mascots, Murals, and a Perfect Vibe

Public Grounds wasn’t without its charm. Mocha and Mugsy, our beloved mascots, added a whole layer of whimsy to the mornings. And that mural — “Good Morning, Great Night” — said everything we ever wanted OTPH to be.

Coffee flowed right into beer. Sunlight slid into stage lights.

People started making Saturday mornings their thing here. Grab a latte, sit at a table, chat a bit, decompress. It was balance in its purest form — the art of being a third place for everyone at any time of day.

Then Came Covid...

We were gaining traction. The momentum was real. The morning crowd was growing.

And then the world shut down.

Covid knocked the legs out from under so many small ventures, and Public Grounds Coffee was one of them. The operations became too complex, the hours too stretched, the recovery too steep. Eventually, with heavy hearts, we had to close the coffee side so we could keep OTPH itself alive.

It was the right call. But it didn’t make it any less bittersweet.

We Miss It More Than You Know

We still talk about those days — how special they were, how rare that kind of all-day community magic really is. People still mention their favorite drinks. Their Saturday rituals. Their kids’ steamers. Their morning chats.

Truth is, Public Grounds Coffee brought something to OTPH that we’ll always hold close: a reminder that community doesn’t have a “time of day.” It’s here whenever people show up for one another.

And while the coffee bar may be gone, that spirit never left.

Good morning, great night — always.