June Wrapped: Pride, Portraits, Live Music & A Big July Reveal Coming Soon
What a month! June at Tenn Street Coffee brought everything we love about summer in Denver: longer days, fresh art, live music, creative workshops, and a community that keeps showing up in the best ways. As we head into the back half of summer, we're taking a moment to look back at June's highlights AND tease some seriously exciting things heading your way in July.
Spoiler alert: art is changing, music is coming, and you're going to want to be paying attention. But first, let's recap! 🌞
🏳️🌈 Celebrating Pride Month All June Long
June was Pride Month, and we celebrated all month long with the energy it deserves. At Tenn Street Coffee & Books, we believe coffee shops should be safe spaces for everyone, all identities, all expressions, all beautiful humans welcomed and celebrated.
Throughout June, we leaned into our values: featuring LGBTQ+ authors on our shelves, supporting inclusive community spaces, and reminding everyone who walks through our doors that they belong here. Not just in June, but every single day of the year.
To our LGBTQ+ family, friends, regulars, and first-timers, thank you for being part of this community. You make Tenn Street Coffee & Books the welcoming, vibrant space it is.
🎵 Live Music with Rowan Drake
On June 4th, traveling singer-songwriter Rowan Drake rolled into Tenn Street Coffee for an unforgettable afternoon set. The 22-year-old from Ithaca, NY, brought his original songs, blues covers, and Dylan tracks to our intimate coffee shop setting, and the result was pure magic.
What made Rowan's performance so special was its authenticity. Here's a musician who signed with Atlantic Records in 2022, toured with the X Ambassadors, and then chose to go independent. Living off-grid in a cabin upstate and driving west, performing in coffee shops along the way. No label. No algorithm. Just a voice, songs, and the open road.
Watching customers put their laptops down, set their books aside, and just LISTEN was a reminder of why we believe in live music at Tenn Street Coffee. There's something irreplaceable about hearing songs performed in the same room where they're being sung. That's exactly what we want to keep cultivating here.
If you missed Rowan, don't worry, we have some BIG musical surprises coming in July (more on that in a minute!).
✂️ Paper Portrait Workshop: Pure Creative Joy
On Sunday, June 14th, we hosted an all-ages Paper Portrait Workshop that ended up being one of our favorite events of the year so far.
For two hours, we filled the space with colorful cardstock, scissors, glue, and paint markers. Kids and adults alike sat side by side, cutting shapes, layering colors, and creating whimsical 5x7 paper portraits of themselves, loved ones, or just imaginative characters.
What we loved most was the energy. No phones. No screens. No pressure to be a "real artist." Just people making things by hand and connecting with neighbors.
In a world of endless digital noise, workshops like this remind us why physical creativity matters. We're already planning more, stay tuned!
☀️ Father's Day + Summer Solstice = Double Celebration
June 21st gave us a TWO-FOR-ONE: Father's Day AND the Summer Solstice on the same day!
We saw so many families come through to celebrate dads, grandfathers, father figures, and chosen family. Multi-generational groups sharing coffee and pastries, dads getting treated to lunch, kids excitedly showing dad the books on our shelves, it was beautiful.
And the Summer Solstice brought the longest day of the year, giving everyone extra daylight hours to linger on patios, take long walks, and just enjoy the season. We're officially in the heart of summer, and we're soaking up every minute.
🎨 Chris Melton Art: Final Days!
Chris Melton's stunning exhibition has been on our walls since the First Friday opening on May 2nd, and what an incredible run it's been. His pieces have transformed our space, capturing place and perspective in ways that make customers stop, look closer, and see Denver with fresh eyes.
From "Lakeside" to familiar Denver intersections, his work proved that there's beauty in the everyday landscapes we move through. So many conversations sparked, so many customers genuinely moved by the work, so many pieces finding new homes with collectors!
The exhibition closes Tuesday, June 30th, so if you haven't experienced it yet, or want one final look, you have just a few more days! All pieces are available for purchase through the closing date.
A massive thank you to Chris for sharing his work with our community.
👀 Coming in July: A Brand New Art Show + A Musical Surprise!
Okay, here's where it gets exciting. July is going to be BIG. 🎉
🎨 New Art Coming to Our Walls!
With Chris Melton's exhibition closing on June 30th, our walls are getting a fresh refresh in July. We're not spilling all the details yet (we want it to be a proper unveiling!), but we can tell you this: the new exhibition is going to bring an entirely different visual energy to our space. New artist, new perspective, new pieces to fall in love with.
First Friday in July is going to be the official opening. Mark your calendars for the celebration and details coming soon!
🎵 A Musical Surprise You Won't Want to Miss
We can't say too much yet, but... July is bringing some incredible music energy to Tenn Street Coffee. We're talking about something a little different from what we've done before. Something special. Something we're so excited about we can barely contain it.
Stay tuned to our socials and our next newsletter for the BIG reveal. You won't want to miss this one.
Thank You, June
Every month at Tenn Street has its own personality, and June's was bright, creative, celebratory, and full of community. From Pride celebrations to live music, from paper portraits to Father's Day brunches, from Juneteenth recognition to incredible art, you showed up for ALL of it.
Thank you for choosing our little coffee shop on Tennyson Street to spend your time. Every customer who walked through our doors, every workshop participant, every concert attendee, every art appreciator, you make this place what it is.
July is about to bring a fresh wave of energy. New art, new music, new memories waiting to be made. We can't wait to see you there.
See you soon!
Stay connected with us on Instagram and Facebook @tennstreetcoffee for daily updates, event announcements, and behind-the-scenes moments. Tag us with #TennStreetCoffee when you share your Tenn Street experiences!
