Nirvana soul After Dark

By Loren Ball

Sisters Be’Anka Ashaolu and Jeronica Macey founded Nirvana Soul in 2020 and have been expanding their business ever since. The Black-owned coffee shop has locations in Downtown San José and Cupertino, with a third expected to open this summer on campus. The sisters offer more than caffeine at Nirvana Soul, they offer an experience. The shop name was inspired by the Buddist term “Nirvana,” which means “paradise” or “closeness to God.”

“. . . ‘Paradise Coffee’ (doesn’t) sound cool and doesn’t sound fun,” Macey said. “So, I was just looking up words (and) different meanings of that word and then ‘Nirvana’ came up. I thought it was perfect but then ‘Nirvana Coffee’ didn’t sound right to me either. So when I was listening to music, I was just like, ‘Oh soul! Like Nirvana Soul!’ ”

The sisters wanted their shop to give off a “home” feeling so their guests could have an outlet to work, study or express themselves. The coffee shop has helped provide these creative outlets by offering weekly open mic events called Nirvana Soul “After Dark.” They’re held twice a week on Thursday and Friday night from 7pm-9pm. They each have different themes however. Thursdays are for spoken word and poetry pieces while Fridays are geared Lacey Rochelle frequently performs at Nirvana Soul “After Dark and has always had an impactful “Coming to Nirvana Soul, I would workshop some stuff, I would do part of the poem and go home and do another part,” Rochelle said. “Getting the energy from everybody else helps you to hone in on your craft and to just do the work in a way that feels authentic to you but also that is fun for you.”

All guests are welcome and encouraged to participate in the After Hours open mic events. They’ve helped provide an open space for the community to come together on a vulnerable level.

Ashaolu and Macey felt that Nirvana Soul should promote more than caffeine in a cup and open mic nights are a perfect example of that. Both sisters wanted to provide an escape for their customers, somewhere they could relax and enjoy a cup of coffee away from the “hustle and bustle.”

“Sit inside, drink your coffee, don’t worry about what’s going on outside of these walls and really take care of you.” said Macey.

The two created a blog to document their life and how far they have come in their journey. They encourage customers and artists alike to follow their blog on their website.