Bluebeard Coffee Roasters

Kevin McGlocklin opened Bluebeard in 2011 in a former antique store at 6th and State, and named it for the family cat, which his father, an English professor, had named for the fairy tale villain. For thirteen years the roasting happened in the cafe. In July 2024 it moved to a second cafe and roastery in a restored 1928 building on South Tacoma Way that once held Kelly's Furniture, with a Probat roaster doing the production work, and the 6th Avenue room gained seating where the equipment used to be.

The drink most often named is La Pistola, a Mexican mocha built on a spicy chocolate sauce. The espresso blend is called The Narrows. Pastries have included orange cinnamon morning buns and lemon curd buns, though whether they are baked in house is not something the company says.

The 6th Avenue cafe is a corner space with big windows, a warehouse feel, plenty of seating and a garage door that opens in summer. It has also served as a CSA pickup point, which says something about how the neighborhood uses it. The company grew from about ten people to about twenty with the 2024 expansion, and it remains independent under its founder.

6th Avenue is open 7 to 5 daily. The South Tacoma Way roastery cafe runs 7 to 3 Tuesday through Sunday and closes at 1 on Mondays.