On the corner of Macdonald Avenue and 16th Street, Vibe Bistro brings a burst of color to an otherwise beige block. Its towering windows, adorned with bright orange lettering and music-themed artwork make it hard to miss — a beacon inviting the community inside.
Vibe bistro
Vibe Bistro, 1501 Macdonald Ave., RichmondÂ
Open Mondays and Fridays 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
For details, and to book the space for an event, visit Vibe online.
This 3,000 square-foot coffee shop and event venue at the street level of the BART parking garage recently reopened after a one-year hiatus. Owner Free Brown first leased the space during the pandemic with the intention of opening a small tea business. Over time, she decided to expand into coffee and food, gradually updating the space until Vibe soft-opened in January 2024, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony a few months later, in May. But two months later, in July 2024, it closed.Â
Now, Brown has reopened Vibe with a renewed sense of purpose, hoping to offer a space that feels like a refuge as much as a neighborhood hangout.
Vibe offers classic drink options, like drip coffee, Americanos and cold brew, but she also includes some original recipes in her lineup such as her turmeric latte, cinnamon dolce latte, and ginger brew. There are pastries, such as danishes and croissants, with more cafe items being released this month.
Brown, a self-proclaimed introvert who has the energy — or vibe — of an entire team, juggles multiple roles in her day-to-day. She moves from barista to business strategist without skipping a beat. Before Vibe, Brown spent years working in the mental health sector, including at treatment centers, psychiatric programs and private therapy.Â
For her, Vibe Bistro is not just a cafe, it’s a love letter to community, creativity and second chances.
Nosh sat down with Brown to learn more about her vision for Vibe.
The following responses have been edited for clarity and succinctness.
What inspired you to first open up Vibe?
There’s been a lot of talk recently about third spaces — locations aside from home and work where people can socialize and find community. Would you consider Vibe a third space with everything you do here?
I think so. People have asked me what age demographic Vibe is marketed towards and I can’t really say we cater towards one specific age group — Vibe is for everyone. I have a friend who pops in and helps me from time to time. She was talking to me about how she’s a coffee shop dweller, and that sometimes some shops don’t like it when you hang out all day. I could see that if you had a small space, but Vibe has over 30 tables. If people want to come and camp out here, they can.
I saw that you host live music and rent out your space for events. Can you tell readers more about this?
We have music twice a month on Fridays, it’s called Live at Vibe. Once it gets its legs, I’m planning to have music every Friday, but for now it’s twice a month. People can rent the space for what I call milestone events. We do everything from baby showers to repasses, and everything else in between. There have been banquets, birthdays, and other life events. You can book on my website.
Do you have any favorite drinks from your menu?
It’s between two drinks — the red velvet latte and the burnt honey latte, which comes with this smoked salt on it that I really like.Â
Vibe first had a soft opening in January 2024, and its official ribbon cutting in May 2024. Then, you closed in July 2024. Why did you decide to close and reopen?
The biggest thing was balancing bringing people in versus the inventory I had going out. I had all of this staff, but no income coming in. Vibe also didn’t have the foot traffic coming in. I made the assumption the first time around that you open and miraculously people would know that and come in, but that’s not necessarily how it works. So not really knowing how to market myself and put Vibe out there led me to stop and reevaluate to see how to keep Vibe afloat. I was just doing too much too fast all at once. It wasn’t sustainable.
What are you doing differently this time to ensure your success?
This time around I’m very hands on. Now, last year, I thought that I didn’t know enough to do that. I thought I needed management teams and other people who have all this experience. I was very self-conscious about my lack of experience. I’ve done things related to food and hospitality before, like feeding the unhoused, but the last time I worked in food service was probably in 1996. But what I realized is that in the last three to four years of building Vibe I do know how to do all of this. I know the menu, I wrote it. I know the recipes, because I wrote them.
What advice would you give to someone who is thinking about opening up a small business?
Be very clear on your “why,” because sometimes, at the end of the day, that’s literally all you have to hold on to. Sometimes things won’t make any sense. Sometimes things will feel like they’re falling apart — or they might actually be falling apart — but by being clear on your intentions and why you started will let you see that there’s a blessing waiting for you at the end of your vision. What you got is enough — whether that’s your gift, your talent, your goal, your mission. It’s also important to be in love with the project or whatever it is that you’re working on.
