Café Artistes has officially taken over Froth at 420 California Ave. in Arcata. The café is now owned by Elaine Leon, Victoria Bergeron and Ami Campbell, three experienced local professionals who bring a shared love of coffee, cocktails, creativity and community to the space.
Café Artistes began with a long-held vision to create a place where artists, performers and neighbors could come together over coffee and conversation. After launching as a mobile café and coffee cart, Café Artistes built a following at community events throughout Humboldt County. The new Arcata location gives that vision a permanent home and creates more room for art, performances, connection and local programming.
Leon and Campbell each bring decades of experience in coffee and café work, along with active arts practices and a deep investment in the local creative community. Campbell is a Humboldt-based visual artist, producer, percussionist and creative-services producer whose work centers local artists, performers and the landscapes of the North Coast. Campbell currently serves on the City of Eureka’s Arts and Culture Commission and coaches Historical Fencing with Fog & Steel HEMA. Leon is an established painter, muralist, musician and photographer who hosts Paint and Sips, benefitting Clarke Historical Museum, teaches figurative drawing classes and actively hands-on creative opportunities to the community. Leon has spent the past decade assisting other local artists through teaching and mentoring. Leon also is a Coffee Roaster with decades of experience in managing coffee shops both in Humboldt and the SF Bay Area. Together, they have helped build Café Artistes over the last decade. From a small sidewalk gallery, to an art market that would table monthly inside of Old Town Coffee and Chocolates, to a small café on wheels and now thanks to the help of Victoria Bergeron and the wonderful community that supports Café Artistes, to Froth in Arcata.
Victoria Bergeron brings decades of bartending and service-industry experience to the ownership team. A Sacramento transplant and Cal Poly Humboldt graduate, she fell in love with Arcata and made the redwoods her home. After more than a decade in the area, she has become a familiar face in Humboldt nightlife. Her vision for the space is rooted in people, chance encounters and memorable nights that make this community special. Her special touch to the café has been through creating the cozy vibes that the café now has, including putting together a living room set on the stage with a game cube for customers to play and enjoy the space. Bergeron approached Café Artistes with a dream of creating an Artistic Space and a dream of opening up a bar and social space that represents the creative and playful side of Arcata. V’s Playground, the Bar space within the Café serves a delicious nighttime menu with beer on tap and wine offerings.
Together, the owners are creating a place for coffee, food, drinks, art, music, dancing, play and laughter. The space, formerly Blondie’s and then Froth, is already a familiar gathering place near Cal Poly Humboldt. Under Café Artistes, it will continue evolving as a welcoming destination for students, artists, performers, families and anyone looking for a place to settle in and connect.
The café’s next chapter will include the growing presence of V’s Playground and Café Artistes, bringing together daytime vintage-style café culture, evening joy and locally rooted events under one roof. The café has already supported local drag and burlesque productions, several social clubs, movie nights, Open Mic Nights and a B*tch and Stitch Craft Night that takes place every second and fourth Thursday of the month. All crafters welcome.
Café Artistes will also continue operating its coffee cart at events around town. The cart can often be found at Humboldt Botanical Garden events and Humboldt Roller Derby events, serving coffee, Thai tea and pastries to bring the Café Artistes spirit beyond the café walls.
Local organizers, artists and community members are invited to submit upcoming events for possible promotion, collaboration, or hosting consideration at frothandcafeartistes.com.
For updates, event information and more, visit frothandcafeartistes.com or call (707) 630-3269.