So far in life, I haven't come across a Lindsay I didn't like. Thankfully, Lindsay Duensing, co-owner of the soon-to-open Craft & Common, didn't break my streak.

I met with Lindsay and her husband Brandon as they put finishing touches on their new space downtown, that is about as aesthetically pleasing as they come.  While the shop has all the lures of neon signs, on-trend colors and accents; it's really the attention to coffee and service that the couple are focusing on.

After leaving the West Coast (although both have Florida roots) they took the inspiration they gathered as they traveled across the country back to Florida, and laid out their plans for the "shop within a shop". Their West Coast and travel influences will also be seen in the creativity behind drinks and the overall look and design for Craft & Common.

Below is everything you need to know before you go.

PARKING

All downtown shops struggle with parking, but fear not, Craft & Common has you covered. There is a large parking lot directly behind their shop.  The spots that are not numbered are first come, first serve and free. The spots with numbers are paid, but they are diligently working with the owner of the lot to get 1-hour validation on those spots.  There is paid meter street parking on Orange Avenue as well, but the lot behind the shop should be your first option.

DAIRY OPTIONS

Brandon and Lindsey are using Intelligentsia coffee so they were determined to find dairy options that were of high quality to compliment it.  They are using Dakin Dairy, which is located on the West Coast of Florida and is the only dairy farm in Florida open to the public that produces and bottles their own milk right on the farm. These are happy cows that are fed fresh grass, completely non-GMO. The milk is higher quality, which does mean a higher fat content but it will give the coffee a richer, creamier taste. They will have whole, skim, and half-and-half all sourced by Dakin. 

For any non-dairy needs they will also have Oatly, Califia almond milk, as well as Pacific Soy.

THE DRINKS

"The one thing about the concept that we are the most proud of is wanting to have the flexibility and the autonomy to change and move with what people are liking and enjoying. Since my background is in restaurants we will definitely be bringing fun, fresh, seasonal things that will always be changing, along with constants that we know people can't live without. We want to have fun and rotate drinks and let our staff be involved in the creation process."

With her hospitality background Lindsay continued to explain that the same method used in craft cocktails; the layering, balancing flavors, and using garnishes, will be applied to their specialty coffee drinks.

Some drinks to be on the lookout for:

The Wild Child: Vanilla, cardamom tincture, rose syrup, garnished with dried rose petals.

The Pacific Fog: Lavender, honey and pink Himalayan sea salt. "It tastes like Seattle."  

On the taps: Cold Brew and Cold Brew on Nitro.  The nitro will be served without ice with a body much like a Guinness. They have a custom nitro set up with a special blend; it's a Guinness blend of 75% nitro and 25% CO2 which is awesome without ice. If you are a die hard ice fan, you can get the regular cold brew that is a little more concentrated and full bodied.  Also available will be draft lattes which are a nitrogen pushed iced latte served without ice and Orlando City Kombucha.

Also to be noted, Made Coffee fans, you can buy it here!

THE SHOP

"We are a mashup of two concepts we felt were great together. I love getting a coffee and doing a little shopping with friends. We complied must have goodies from local makers but also different artisan makers from the West Coast because it's a huge part of who we are and the inspiration behind the concept. You'll find National Park inspired candles, fair trade pillows, canteens, tumblers, and more fun, brightly colored goods."

As we spoke, Lindsey stressed that they wanted everyone to feel comfortable at Craft & Common whether you are dressed up because you work downtown or you are casually hanging out.  Everyone should feel equally comfortable no matter what walk of life they come from, and they are paying close attention to their baristas so that people feel welcome to enjoy their coffee the way that they will enjoy it the most. No judgements. 

Also noteworthy (to me at least) is that good musical taste reigns supreme here, so be ready for 90's hip hop and no sad vibes songs.

If you were tantalized by all the greenery, check out Land of Alice (@landofalicestudio) who helped design and supply all the beautiful plants in the shop.

The grand opening will be taking place VERY soon, so I would recommend following Craft & Common on Instagram (@craftandcommon) so you don't miss the announcement.

Happy coffee dates!

All photos are property of Lemonhearted Creative and SHOULD NOT be used by other digital publications without permission. Don't steal my photos PUH-LEASE.