It’s kind of hard to put a finger on any one most accurate word to describe the Murray Street Coffee Shop. It took me a month of wandering the streets of Deep Ellum (think less vagrant, more in search of art-making materials, but not entirely one way or the other of either) upon the suggestion of a friend until I stumbled into the little shop on the corner of Main and Murray. And little is exactly how it looks from the outside; however, I was shocked when I walked in to discover a practically unobservable – from the outside – second story, which just happens to be pretty excellent.

I immediately loved the large illustrative painting on the landing, which could just as easily depict a rose bush as it could a sea monster or a map of the circulatory system.

The rest of the place is decked out with equally intriguing local art, reportedly hailing from Dallas escapee David Quadrini’s late exposition area gallery. That, and the mid-century furniture, contemporary lighting and diverse menu offerings, give the place a feel of being a kind of constantly in-flux performance piece. This could also stem from the impression I get that everyone inside is always engaged with one another. Owner Liz Davis (in cahoots with husband Doug) is frequently found sitting on the couch with a cup of joe between a local regular and some under-caffeinated passerby in dire need of a shot.

The feeling is very comfortable. It’s a place to go when you want to be alone with a bunch of people who want to be alone too. Somehow though, those same people are often found sharing lines out of the newspaper or telling that one story about that neighborhood dog sighted running down the street still chained to a table from the Which Wich on Commerce.

No one knows about this place and somehow everyone does at the same time.

They tell me it started out as little more than something fun to do on the side and really snowballed into a local institution. Bottom line is: there’s no Starbucks in Deep Ellum, and no one here is complaining.