For those who like a side of spooky with their coffee, independent coffee shop Rad Coffee is coming to Bixby Knolls.
Projected to open in May 2022, according to co-founder Jade Valore, the coffee shop—known for its mashup of skate culture, punk and horror—will open where Derricks on Atlantic was once located before closing in 2021.
The Atlantic location, with 20 parking spots and an outdoor patio, is what drew Jade to Long Beach, she said. Although the company is always looking for locations, this one happened to fit their aesthetic.
“We go to Lakewood and Whittier in [our coffee truck] and Long Beach isn’t that far,” Jade said. “When the customers found out [we] were coming they were so excited because it’s finally coming closer to them.”
Currently, Rad Coffee has two locations, one in Downtown Upland and another in Downtown Covina.
Jade and her partner Rusty Valore—who met as baristas at Starbucks—opened Rad Coffee as a pop-up at an Upland juice bar in 2015 after becoming pregnant with their first child.
“I was likey ‘Hey, we’re going to have a baby, how can we raise our child and build something for us?’” Jade said, noting that the couple didn’t “come from money.”
Jade attributes the coffee shop’s following (115,000 on Instagram) to the skate, punk and horror mash-up concept (modeled after the couple’s interests) and their marketing. Eventually, Rad ended up leasing the building where they held their first pop-up.
“Nobody really had skeletons on their coffee,” Jade said. “My expertise is marketing because I want to give the people what they want and I know what they want because I want it too.”
A quick look at the company’s social media pages will show patrons sharing their orange and teal cups adorned with a skeleton sipping coffee against the shop’s wall plastered in concert flyers and stickers.
Patrons also share photos to show off the sprinkled cereal toppings on their “cereal chillers”, a line of drinks that contain cereal. “Cookies N’ Scream” (cookies, coffee, blue whip cream and cereal) is the patron favorite, Jade noted.
Rad also has a fixed menu (espresso and coffee, tea and lemonade, specialty blended) with names like “Frankenstein” (matcha green tea blended with vanilla mint, topped with chocolate chips and oreos) and “The Bride” (white chocolate blended with mint.)
Additionally, the coffee shop pushes out a monthly menu with different themes. Their March menu includes “Leprechaun” (Irish creme blended with coffee and vanilla mint with orange whip cream and topped off with Lucky Charms) and “Creature Lemonade” (organic pineapple mint lemonade) in a soft green shade.
Jade comes up with what she wants the drinks to look like and the names while Rusty creates the recipe.
“I wanted to create a drink that your average coffee consumer wouldn’t normally order,” Jade said. “I want the sugary, the sweet, all the coffee, I want to drink it and take my Instagram picture.”
Jade’s latest project, Cosmic Bakery, which specializes in vegan treats with an emphasis on pop culture, will also be part of the Bixby location.
The bakery’s main attraction is the vegan pop tarts also known as “Astro Tarts,” with varying flavors of the week.
“It’s a real blessing to be able to have a community that’s going to appreciate what we’re giving them,” Jade said. “And not just a cup of coffee, but the experience as a whole.”
To keep up with Rad Coffee, follow them on Instagram at @radcoffee or visit their website rad.coffee.
