Photography by Kathy Tran
Elijah Salazar wanted a coffee shop in his neighborhood.
After the Oak Cliff native and his wife, Ann, moved to Kiestwood a few years ago, he missed having a convenient stop for good coffee on his way to work.
“Between here and 67, there’s a couple of gas stations and a doughnut place,” he says. “I just noticed that nothing was really popping up here the way it is in north Oak Cliff.”
He decided to take a year off from his job as a Dallas ISD teacher and start his own coffee shop.
Salazar opened Peaberry Coffee in the Kiestwood shopping center in January.
“I kind of lucked out,” he says. “You don’t have to be a derivative of Starbucks. You can have craft coffee and do things the right way, and people will respond.”
The menu is simple. Salazar calls it the “greatest hits of specialty coffee.” And they use single-origin coffee for their drip. Pastries come from Moreish Donuts and Hannah’s Gluten Free Bakery.
The shop itself is simple too. There are two long tables, a couch and room for kids to play. The walls are adorned with murals by Wheron.
“You can have craft coffee and do things the way you want, and people will respond.”
They rely on good service and a quality cup.
The demand was there. Peaberry has a stable of loyal regulars.
Salazar says the shopping center’s owners have plans to resurface the parking lot and create outdoor seating. He expects that to draw in new customers.
Originally, Salazar had no intention of returning to work. But after a long-term sub gig at the end of the last school year, he realized he missed teaching.
“It’s fulfilling in a different way,” he says.
So he went back to teaching at Jimmie Tyler Brashear Elementary in August. Ann Salazar teaches at Christo Rey Dallas College Prep, and they have a 2-year-old.
His brother and an employee run the shop while they’re working.
“The whole purpose of our shop is to serve the community,” Salazar says. “To be here for the neighborhood. We’re trying to be reliable, as consistent as possible and quality focused.”
Peaberry Coffee
