Tommie the Tomcat greets students at the back entrance of Dogwood Coffee. The piece was done by Forrest Wozniak before the coffee shop opened Sept. 10. (Angeline Patrick Pacheco/The Crest) 
A line of customers wait to order while one orders from the selection of pastries. (Angeline Patrick Pacheco/The Crest) 
Dogwood’s walls are covered with colorful, bright decor and warm lighting. (Angeline Patrick Pacheco/The Crest) 
An art piece right next to Dogwood’s back entrance. (Angeline Patrick Pacheco/The Crest) 
Dogwood’s front entrance, sporting a sign to show all it’s open. (Angeline Patrick Pacheco/The Crest)
Colorful floral designs coat the walls, eccentric art pieces line the shelves and Tommie the Tomcat himself is plastered on the back entrance to greet every student primed to study. Dogwood Coffee opened at the start of the school year less than a block from campus — and it’s exactly what students have wanted for years.
Dogwood Coffee has four locations across the Twin Cities, with its new spot next to Davanni’s at 53 Cleveland Ave. S. being its second in St. Paul. For students like junior Eve Yang, having another business around campus means a lot.
“The hospitality here is really nice and friendly. I like how convenient it is, like we don’t have a lot of coffee spots here and I think we should,” Yang said. “Why do we have three gas stations and only, like, two cafes near us? That’s an insane ratio.”
Dogwood owner Dan Anderson said he heard “over and over” from neighbors and others in the St. Thomas community that they were craving more local businesses in the area.
“We’ve been so warmly welcomed by everybody,” Anderson said. “People really seemed like they were hungry for the stuff that’s in here.”
Yang echoed the sentiment: “Give us more, give us more!”
In addition to a lineup of traditional coffee options, Dogwood also sells alternative beverages.
“I’m not a coffee drinker, so I’m happy they have boba and tea and hot cocoa as options as well,” junior Malorie Wilcox said.
Dogwood’s seasonal options are equally exciting. For the fall, it’s offering a blueberry flapjack cold brew, a sweet potato-flavored latte and a “camper” maple latte.
Anderson bought the space in July but opened to the public Sept. 10 — the quickest turnaround of any Dogwood yet. The infrastructure for a coffee shop was already in place when the building was purchased, which helped the process along.
“We really just kind of changed the skin of the space to reflect our brand,” Anderson said.
Anderson and his wife have been in the coffee business since 2010, and the opening of the location on Cleveland was similarly a family effort.
Anderson said his middle son, who started at UST this year, helped with the woodwork and furniture, while his youngest helped with the speakers and sound systems. He credits his wife with all the design work and “pulling everything together.”
“It was a hectic two months, but really fun,” Anderson said.
Part of the cafe’s design is a nod to the campus across the street. On the building’s back entrance, a large mural of Tommie the Tomcat in Dogwood’s distinctive art style is there to greet students.
“We just wanted to have a welcoming message that we want to be good neighbors,” Anderson said.
“It feels like a good fit … the community is happy to have us, and we’re happy to help.”
Angeline Patrick Pacheco can be reached at patr3972@stthomas.edu.
