aftermarket

Let me set the scene. You walk down the street, past a giant tiger mural, and you find yourself staring at a gritty concrete facade with a rolling garage door. The signage is there if you look for it. Lowercase. Quiet. Polite. The whole thing reads hidden and low key. Exactly what aftermarket is going for.

Push through the door and the vibe flips on you. Raw faux concrete walls. Exposed ceiling joists. A skylight pours sunshine across the open floor plan. Sleek leather seating. Modern art on every wall. A vintage blue Piaggio Vispa scooter parked like it is part of the show. The espresso bar is tiled in a sharp geometric pattern, and the red cushioned bar stools (very comfortable by the way) pop against all that concrete. It is the kind of room you photograph before you even order.

Now here is the twist. aftermarket is not the only thing happening in this room. It coexists with BELHAUS, the contemporary art gallery and film lab. They share the space, mutually. One door. Two (well, three) souls under one roof. The art on the walls is from local artists and most of it is for sale. Same goes for the clothing. The newsstand by the bar, modeled after a vintage Parisian street kiosk, sells original works on paper, prints and small objets. Part cafe, part boutique, part creative studio, part something I cannot quite name.

OK, the coffee. The bar is anchored by a beautiful red Faema Jubilee espresso machine. The beans come from Caffio Espresso Bar which is less than a quarter mile down the road. The house blend is a medium roast made of Brazilian and Nicaraguan beans. I ordered a small latte (comes with a double shot) and the flavor was rich and comforting. Milk chocolate up front, warm caramel in the middle and roasted nuts on the finish. The espresso has enough weight to cut through the milk instead of vanishing into it.

Now the part I really want to call out. The syrups are house made. All of them. No Torani bottle. No giant jug with a label you recognize from Costco. Made by hand, by the team, in their own kitchen. Order a Lumio (named after a small beach in Corsica) or a Bizou (named after their late studio dog) and you can taste why that detail matters.

The pastries come from Chaconne Patisserie out in Scottsdale. I did not try one this visit. The case looked great though. Next time.

One quick note for first timers. Google Maps is going to lie to you. Punch the address in and the pin will dump you on Grand Ave staring at the front of the building complex. The actual aftermarket entrance is around the back on McKinley. Street parking is easy and free. I took a bunch of pictures for reference so check them out before you go.

aftermarket is the kind of place where the coffee is dialed, the art is real and the room itself is the show. A shop that does not believe in capital letters, big signs or store bought syrups. Every detail here means something, even the door you cannot find on Google Maps.