Can any good thing come out of Jtown? I admit, as a former Louisville resident, when I first heard about my former employer’s plan to open a café in Jeffersontown, I was skeptical. Jtown is the burbs. It’s the suburb many of my friends grew up in, but as a transplant to Louisville, it wasn’t on my radar. It certainly wasn’t a destination.

It turns out, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Quills Coffee recently opened their newest café in a remodeled bank in historic downtown Jeffersontown. Jtown, after all, before it was swallowed up by the city of Louisville, was a town in its own right, first incorporated in 1797. By all accounts, its the roaster-retailer’s most ambitious buildout yet.

The café is also the first new location for the roaster/retailer since having to close three of their cafés in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Counting the shuttered cafés, Quills Jtown is the ninth café that Quills founder Nathan Quillo has opened. Over the years, Quills has learned a thing or two about building out a café, so I was curious to find out what the team did with this unique, two-story space. I caught up with Quills director of Coffee Brian Beyke to learn more.

How did Quills end up putting a café in Jtown?

In 2018 some friends approached us about renting their newly acquired building at the corner of Taylorsville Road and Watterson Trail. We knew the old bank building would make a perfect home for a cafe. The historic downtown walkability, the architectural detail, and natural lighting are all elements we look for in creating a new space for you to enjoy our coffee.

Anything special/new about the space in terms of equipment? Bar flow? Menu?

The bar features a La Marzocco Linea PB espresso machine, Mahlkönig E65s grinder, and we’ve added in the Marco Pour’d (not currently in operation at time of open), FRIIA, and SP9. We also brought back the trusty Veloce (ed. note: a layered shot of espresso, cream and syrup) wjth a bit of a fresh face – calling it The Lil’ 500 as a nod to our Indy roots.

What has the response been like from the community? 

People have been more excited about this location than most, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. The space seems to offer our true-to-Quills menu but the feel of the space still has something about it that feels different than our previous buildouts. With a list of other spaces in the works, I’m excited to see the continued momentum for the brand.

All photos by Brian Renshaw. Quills Jtown is located at 10501 Watterson Trail, Louisville, KY.