For decades, Jitters Coffee Pub in Oceanside has strived to bring the neighborhood together.
With a cup of joe, grub and good music they have found a formula that's led to a dedicated clientele, including some big names.
“This has been my clubhouse since 2004,” said Grammy award-winning musician Jason Mraz. “I've been coming to this coffee shop, I've done shows here, I've (collaborated) with the owners outside of here on various projects.”
Now the Oceanside resident is deepening his connection to the coffee shop as a business partner with a vision.
“I proposed the idea that we build a stage here and they trust me with some nighttime entertainment,” Mraz said. “I've got a lot of great local musicians that are all itching to play here, comedians from LA that want to come down and work on their sets.”
Mraz said it’s a roughly 45-seat venue, which works well for artists to develop their material.
Admittedly, he also personally wanted a space to practice in front of a small audience.
“I came up through the coffee shop scene in the '90s and the early 2000s and they were vital to communities. They were vital to artists hanging up their art, performing their music,” Mraz said.
The reason the musician joined the team at Jitters, is that the owners were considering closing due to rising costs.
“Rents gone up, I mean we've been here 20 years in this location. We weren't sure if we were willing to pay more — it's like tripled,” co-owner Vallie Gilley said.
She and her husband Clayton Ballew run the shop together.
“We have essentially a mom-and-pop (store) right, you're working everyday you're doing everything,” Gilley said.
During the COVID-era of closures and in the years that followed, they had fewer customers and more take-out orders.
It’s a trend that the North County Economic Development Council said led other retail businesses to pivot.
Gilley said the partnership with Mraz is breathing new life into the shop.
“I feel lucky because so many places closed. We were lucky. But it's scary to think about it,” she said. “I mean it's one of the reasons I was like ‘Should we keep going?’ Because I didn't want to get into the same boat.”
Mraz’s partnership at Jitters reaches all corners of the business, extending to his farm in Oceanside.
He helps supply the cafe’s updated menu with avocados, citrus and seasonal fruits. Soon they will even offer some of his own North County coffee.
“So I have 20 lbs. reserved this year that I'm going to bring to Jitters and we’re going to serve espresso,” Mraz said.
Jitter's official grand re-opening takes place July 12 with an all-day event in the cafe’s parking lot, marking the beginning of weekly arts and music performances.
For those performances, the shop will welcome auditions from songwriters and storytellers.
“It's what I remember coffee shops being. It was an all-ages place and they were listening rooms to let the community share,” Mraz said.
For those looking to watch and listen to those artists, Gilley said the public will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis.
