Since opening in 2019, Peaberry Coffee has been an Oak Cliff staple. Owned and operated by Elijah Salazar, the shop was a pillar of the community at its Kiestwood Village location. In 2023, Salazar briefly opened a second location in Elmwood, which closed five months later.
For the last two weeks, neighbors have wondered if a similar fate might befall the original location. The shop has remained closed with a "for lease" sign in the windows. Salazar cites the repeated failure of the shop's air conditioning, often leaving the inside temperature at more than 90 degrees, and two break-ins over three months as the reason for the closure.
“We reached out to get a few quotes and started preparing to replace the entire unit,” he says. “But we came to realize the problems were greater than the high cost of the AC replacement. Though we love Kiestwood, anyone who visits will know it’s an older building with lots of leaks and cracks that has, quite literally, been slowly sliding into the eroding creek behind it for decades.”
Some employees are skeptical about the future of the shop.
“I had to go on social media to find out that we’re not open,” says barista Stephanie Salas-Vega. “Every two days we were told that we would be reopening, which is why none of us have been looking for a new job.”
Since the sudden closure, Vega says she still hasn’t been paid for the last week of work.
“Elijah is one of my very good friends,” she says. “I feel really bad criticizing him, but at the same time, I do work for him, and my rent is due.”
A GoFundMe was set up to support Peaberry during the move. So far, it has raised $5,495, which Salazar says will go entirely to paying his employees.
“They’re getting paid as the money comes in,” he says. “It’s been one at a time some days, but it’s all going towards them.”
Salazar provided screenshots showing the GoFundMe sum paid out in several hundred-dollar increments over a few days. No official date is set for the new location’s reopening, but Salazar says it will have a soft opening at some point this week.
“This community is no stranger to watching beloved businesses go belly-up after a few years,” he says. “We’re grateful to have built something beautiful that’s been able to endure tough times and build a loyal and passionate base. Our original Kiestwood space and what we created in it is something that we’re incredibly proud of.”
