Bring out your Dead!

Wake the Dead Coffeehouse celebrates 16-year anniversary

In the 16 years since Julie Balkman opened the doors to Wake the Dead, the quirky neighborhood coffeehouse has grown to be so much more than a stop on the daily grind. Equal parts performance space, art gallery and outdoor meeting spot, Wake the Dead welcomes a diverse crowd of regulars who came for the coffee but stayed for the community.

Wake the Dead hosts every genre of live music and a multitude of comedy shows. Every month, artists display their work on the walls of the Wake the Dead galleries. A variety of organizations hold meetings in the comfortable rooms inside or on the shade-dappled courtyard outside. Authors and poets stage readings. A film club meets on Sunday evenings to screen an interesting variety of classic and contemporary movies. Students come to study or take a break from studying.

The Wake the Dead features an assortment of coffees, teas, smoothies, beer and wine. The menu offers pastries, sandwiches, snacks and soups… Whenever a person is feeling dead — for whatever reason at all — Wake the Dead is there to reawaken them, mind, body and soul.

In the same spirit in which it was created, Wake the Dead Coffeehouse will celebrate its 16th anniversary on Friday, May 31 from 6 - 9 p.m. The event will feature free food, musicians, live comedy, games and prizes for all.

To read more about what Wake the Dead means to its community...

see wake the dead

It’s a home away from home and a true center of community, especially for artists, writers, musicians, and their fans.

- Robin Blackburn