7830 NC HWY 751 Suite 100, Durham, 27713
919-924-0240
8.2 miles from downtown Durham
Hours: 7 to 6 Mon-Fri; 8 to 5 Sat & Sun
https://www.pplscoffee.com/
The Vibe: Cosmopolitan, sophisticated, classy, crisp
Wednesday, September 18, 2019 2:24 PM
Solsbury Hill by Peter Gabriel, and other songs from the 80s, is playing on the stereo. My Shazam picks up the tune easily because there is no-one here. No one speaking or making any noise at all. Nothing to compete with the music. The atmosphere is a bit stale. When I leave 3 hours later, the activity in the café has picked up, but I’d say my experience today has been fairly pedestrian.
Monday May 13, 2019 3:34 PM
Quiet, two people here, both heads down, headphones on, working. Pleasurably languid, like some of the songs by Pokey LaFarge (folk, country swing) who has been playing the entire two hours I’ve been here. In fact, “poky” is a good description of the scene today … slow. Two people are here when I arrive. Still just two other people two hours later. The only conversation is the one inside my head. I’m the last person to leave.
Thursday, March 21, 2019 at 9:30 AM
It’s a rainy Thursday morning and boy is People’s hopping. It’s a refreshingly multicultural experience today. Many young professionals meeting in twos and fours. Nary a table to be found. Because of a special event at the adjacent burger bar today they’re not letting coffee patrons spill over into that space. (The burger bar actually has a great high-top table for 8 just outside the coffee bar doors that is great for meetings. I’ve been told, however, that you have to ask in advance to use it.) So, I sit at the bar along the service area while people stand in line behind me for coffee and tea. The bar presents a challenge for the person I’m meeting because they are not as tall as I am. And even though I’m tall, the bar would also present a challenge for me if I wanted to work on my laptop.
The buzzy noise of patrons drowns out whatever music is playing today. People are working but mainly they are chatting enthusiastically, like they’re catching up after a long absence from each other. It creates a vibrant energy.
Today the giant wall mural strikes me and I love the homage to Keith Haring.
Thursday, February 28, 2019 at 2 PM
The next time you extend an invitation to “meet over coffee” think People’s Coffee. This coffee joint is conveniently located – right off I-40 across the street from the western entrance to Southpoint Mall – but don’t let its commercial setting discourage you. Stylishly elegant and bound to impress describes its interior.
For the time being, People’s is a one of a kind. Town Hall Burger & Beer owns People’s. Two locations exist. One in Durham and the other in Chapel Hill. A third in Holly Springs appears to be on the way. Normally, a burger joint does not suggest a coffee shop. However, a single building is home to both People’s and Town Hall Burger. In fact, an interior doorway bridges one to the other.
People’s shares a parking lot with a Hyatt Place, an Aldi grocery store, a Bonefish Grill, an EVgo Charging Station, and an office building, but inside People’s is a very pleasant space – white subway tile, high ceiling, clean, uncluttered black-and-white design. A single person sharing the café when I arrive at 2 PM on a Thursday afternoon contributes to the crisp affect.
The Setting
There is seating outside along a window bar as well as tables on the sidewalk in front of Town Hall Burger which, since they share the same owner, I assume you can probably use. There is also bar seating inside, both at the storefront window and at the coffee bar itself. A long, comfortable, built-in couch runs most of the length of the shop, which is a unique feature amongst Durham coffee shops, with a couple two-tops and four-tops opposite, and one longer table at the back that seats 8. All of the tables, and the coffee bar, are made from very thick, carved wood pieces. People’s seats about 30 inside, but it seems smaller. Since I arrived, 4 other folks have shown up, and just with 5 people in here now the café feels half-full.
People’s sells whole bean retail – they feature a single roaster, B&W brand based out of Wake Forest, NC. Along with a traditional line-up of coffee and tea, People’s serves Kombucha and Matcha, juice and smoothies, as well as food – homemade snacks, and breakfast until 2 PM (egg burritos, sandwiches, and avocado toast). And if you want more to eat, you can you can literally walk through a door at the end of the café and get yourself a burger.
People’s tagline is, “Our focus is on making good coffee, so you can focus on great interactions,” which is very apropos because this coffee shop is an inviting place to invite others to meet you over a great cup of coffee.
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