Third BlackHorse coffee shop to open in SLO

BlackHorse Espresso and Bakery, with two coffee shops in San Luis Obispo, has plans to open a third location this July at 796 Foothill Blvd.

Previous occupants of the 1350-square-foot building have included bicycle shops and a gas station, which the shop will use to retain an industrial feel using the original roll-up garage doors. The site will feature indoor and patio seating, including a room dedicated to students with a large community table, wrote co-manager Philip Deal in an email to The Tribune.

BlackHorse opened as Uptown Espresso on Higuera Street in downtown San Luis Obispo in 1995. The BlackHorse name was introduced in 2007, and local residents and business owners Tom Brown and Greg Hind bought it in 2008.

A second location was opened in the Broad Street Village in 2009.

The shop will hire 10 to 15 employees for its new store, bringing the total number of BlackHorse employees to about 45.

Among its employees are four bakers for its newly-completed commercial bakery at 153 Cross St. The bakery runs up to 18 hours a day to produce morning, afternoon and evening pastries, Deal said. Favorites among BlackHorse’s fresh-baked pastries include carrot cake, muffins and scones.

Though he declined to disclose revenues, Deal said, “Our business continues to grow, and with the completion of our new commercial bakery, we felt the time was right.”

This story was originally published April 13, 2011 at 9:16 PM with the headline "Third BlackHorse coffee shop to open in SLO."