About ten years ago, development along Henderson's Water Street District was just picking up. Around then, architect Windom Kimsey rode his bicycle down the street looking for a quick cup of coffee and couldn't find what he called "a true coffee shop," according to Las Vegas Weekly. So he opened one himself. Public Works Coffee Bar arrived in 2017, and for nine years it was the only dedicated coffee spot on Water Street.
That changed this year, when two more coffee shops joined Public Works. One of them told the Weekly it came for the concerts and parades. Downtown Henderson's event season runs from early November into the first week of December, and a coffee stop is now the natural start to any of those mornings.
Three coffee shops, each a different kind of stop
Each of the three shops on and around Water Street works a little differently.
Public Works Coffee Bar is the original. Public Works calls itself an independently owned coffee and tea café, and it turns into a wine bar Tuesday through Saturday. The Weekly describes its coffee as house-roasted. The current menu includes a Cuban Honey latte, a Snickers latte and a Matcha Honey latte. Its breakfast menu uses bread baked just down the street, which brings in the street's longest-running morning business.
Chef Flemming's Bake Shop makes that bread. The bakery is at 7 S. Water St. and has been open since 2008, so it was baking there nearly a decade before Public Works opened. It sells fresh pastries, breads and custom cakes. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and it's closed Sunday and Monday, according to the bakery's own site. For a Sunday event, plan your pastry run for the day before.
The Coffee Class is the newcomer with the most going on. Local owner Kyle Cunningham opened his coffee house this spring inside the Town House Motor Lodge building, which dates to 1962. The three-story flagship sits at 37 S. Water St., with the coffee house, bakery and café on the ground floor, according to the Review-Journal's Neon. It calls itself a "specialty bakery bistro." The espresso drinks use Onyx Coffee Lab beans, and the food runs from pastries to a spinach crab benedict and a French dip au jus. Cunningham told the Weekly he hopes Water Street grows into a coffee destination the way the Arts District has started to:
"You need to create the culture that you want to see, and the coffee culture in Vegas grows when you have more people bringing things to the table. The Arts District is getting there, and for Water Street, I want to see more."
Better Buzz is the quick option. The San Diego-based chain began as a single coffee cart in 2002 and now has 60 locations across California, Arizona and Nevada. Its Henderson drive-thru opened in June at 110 E. Lake Mead Pkwy., on the corner of Water Street. The signature drink is the trademarked Best Drink Ever, a vanilla americano. The menu also has breakfast sandwiches on ciabatta or pretzel rolls, plus açaí bowls.
Why the new shops came to Water Street
Better Buzz's vice president of marketing, Amanda Cameron, explained the location choice to the Weekly. "It seemed like a great spot where we could be at the center of the concerts, parades and a really busy intersection," she said. "There were other sites that we looked at, but that one, by far, stood out."
That's the clearest description of Water Street's draw this year. The street's businesses are planning around its event days. Kimsey, the Public Works founder, welcomed the new shops in the same story. "I do not see more people as competitors. That's sort of the Water Street mantra," he said.
The momentum goes beyond coffee. FOX5 reported in October that new condos, restaurants, bars and shops are changing the look of the historic district. Kelly Rivera recently moved Plan 9 Body Piercing to Water Street after years elsewhere in town. The 151-unit Watermark building is almost fully leased after earlier construction delays, according to a city official. The same official told FOX5 that the city has loosened zoning rules to give businesses more flexibility. More apartments within walking distance means more potential regulars for these coffee counters.
After coffee, head upstairs: Terminal 4
The newest reason to stay on Water Street past noon is one floor above The Coffee Class. Terminal 4, a cocktail lounge, opened on the second floor at 37 S. Water St. this year. Neon reported that the bar takes its cue from the speakeasies that made Mexico City a leading cocktail city. The name is a nod to local aviation. Harry Reid International Airport has only Terminal 1 and Terminal 3, and there has never been a Terminal 4. "Las Vegas has a gap where a fourth terminal should be. We decided to build it ourselves," Cunningham told Neon.
Manager Yeshua Estrada described the international drink menu to FOX5: "It's kind of like a way that you can travel to different parts of the world just by coming to our bar."
The third floor is still in progress. Neon reported in August that the open-air rooftop was being used for events and that summer heat could mean more buildout before brunch service begins. In September, Cunningham told the Weekly he was still working on turning the rooftop into a brunch area. Rooftop brunch is in the works, but there's no announced start date yet.
The calendar the coffee shops are counting on
Here are the Water Street dates between now and early December, listed in the City of Henderson's WinterFest and events listings. They're the kind of days Cameron had in mind.
- Saturday, November 7: Veterans Day Ceremony, 10 to 11 a.m. It's a short morning event. Chef Flemming's opens at 7 a.m. that day.
- Sunday, November 8: Indigenous American Heritage Celebration, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Water Street Plaza. The free event includes live cultural performances, music, dance, storytelling, artisan vendors and food trucks. Since it falls on a Sunday when Chef Flemming's is closed, The Coffee Class or the Better Buzz drive-thru on the corner makes an easy first stop.
- Saturday, November 28: Shop Small Henderson, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Henderson Events Plaza, 240 S. Water St. The 10th annual event features local small businesses, makers, food trucks and specialty vendors. Three weeks before, Henderson hosts a different fall event across town: the Heritage Harvest Festival, on November 7 at Heritage Park Senior Facility, 300 S. Racetrack Road.
- Thursday, December 3: WinterFest tree lighting and drone show, 5 to 7:30 p.m., Water Street Plaza.
- Friday, December 4: Electric Light Parade, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., along Water Street between Basic Road and Victory Road. This is the parade crowd Better Buzz had in mind when it chose its corner. The two December events also fall after Chef Flemming's 3 p.m. close, so Terminal 4 may be the better match for those evenings.
Parking for a Water Street morning
The city lists free parking in the Water Street garage at 235 S. Water St., with the entrance on Texas Avenue. There's more free parking in the City Hall garage, reached from Basic Road, and in other lots around the district. Street closures for the WinterFest nights hadn't been posted when the city's page was last updated. Check that page before the December 4 parade, since the route runs right down Water Street.
A simple plan for one of these mornings: park in the Texas Avenue garage, grab a loaf at Chef Flemming's, and have your latte at Public Works or The Coffee Class. You'll still be at the plaza before the first performance starts.
If you live near downtown Henderson and are thinking about how the changes along Water Street might shape your next move, or you're a Hawaii friend planning a visit and want a local's plan for the morning, I'm always glad to talk it through over coffee. Reach out to Randy Hatada and Let's Connect.
