Nathan Purcell has been referred to as the “Mayor of East Kensington” more than once, and rightfully so. His coffee shop/art gallery/event hub, Framers Cafe, is located on East Boston Street right below the L in Kensington. As an artist, Nathan’s career took him around the world blowing glass, but his home is here. More than a place to grab coffee, Framers is both Nathan’s vision of community and a collection of memories from his travels. But to understand how he arrived here, we must rewind time.
After nearly three decades of perfecting his craft, Nathan exhibited glass artwork and taught classes across several continents. From shows in Europe and Asia to opening a gallery in Brooklyn or publishing books, art was always at the forefront of Nathan’s life. Coincidentally, through his travels and time away from home, solace and a sense of normalcy arrived (as it does for many of us) in a cup of daily coffee. Wherever he was, Nathan’s first move was to research cafes to try. Beyond the beans, his eyes were opened to what a cafe could mean to different communities. Nathan’s single largest inspiration is a cafe in Barcelona, Els 4 Gats, a renowned meetup spot for artists in the early 20th century. The Catalan cafe is also credited for hosting what is regarded as Pablo Picasso’s first-ever art exhibit.
“To me, it made a lot of sense because it was before the internet…it was a great way for analog marketing, for people to see your artwork,” says Purcell. “I thought this was a great opportunity to redo this concept in a great way… something with the times now that is more analog and stepping away from social media.” Of course, there are standard caffeine junkies who couldn’t care less about art exhibitions or even the quality of coffee itself; just locate the main line and inject it. But those aren’t usually the type of customers that find their way to Framers, and that’s by design.
From a gallery owner’s perspective, operating a cafe within an art gallery is also a common-sense way to generate daily income and combat the slump that happens between art exhibits. Most art collectors visit for opening night, a handful for the closing, and the remaining month-long (give or take) period is accompanied by deafening silence, slow foot traffic, and days of closure. But Nathan’s relentless pursuit of creating and exhibiting art shouldn’t distract you from the fact that his coffee is legit, too.
For the past several years, Nathan has explored his relationship with coffee and is diving deeper into the science behind cultivating the perfect cup. Working with a Delaware-based roaster allows Framers to hand-select bean varietals and focus on coffee quality without the burden of running the operation solo. It also provides another layer of credibility among coffee enthusiasts for the eclectic cafe.
Open from 8 am to 6:30 pm, Thursday through Sunday, Nathan intentionally skews his hours to service artists and foodservice industry workers. As a new business, this allows Framers the chance to acquire clients who enjoy coffee later in the afternoon, versus shops that close a few hours earlier. Framers Cafe – 1807 E Boston Street