{"id":124154,"date":"2026-04-11T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/hardware-showroom-and-coffee-shop-hybrid-opens-in-durango\/"},"modified":"2026-04-11T05:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T11:00:00","slug":"hardware-showroom-and-coffee-shop-hybrid-opens-in-durango","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/hardware-showroom-and-coffee-shop-hybrid-opens-in-durango\/","title":{"rendered":"Hardware showroom and coffee shop hybrid opens in Durango"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Jordon
Jordon Curley, with Blacksmith Caf\u00e9, talks on Wednesday about the locally-made pastries that the business sells. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Sometimes, unusual pairings work out.<\/p>\n

In a unique move, Nathaniel Winkler, owner of Element Hardware, has shifted his previously fully online hardware business into a hybrid brick-and-mortar coffee shop and hardware showroom in southwest Durango.<\/p>\n

Winkler previously sold his pieces, which he made by hand in the garage of his south Durango home, on Etsy. On April 1, he opened the Blacksmith Caf\u00e9 at 21738 U.S. Highway 160, Unit A. He calls it \u201ca place to enjoy things made with care.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t want a cold showroom,\u201d he said. \u201cI thought, \u2018How can I make this more interactive, more fun, and have a more local draw component to it?\u2019 Coffee\u2019s like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to the storefront operating as a regular coffee shop \u2013 run by Winkler\u2019s wife, Johanna \u2013 the site touts shelves full of handmade hardware items for sale and a working forge, where Element Hardware pieces are created.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Blacksmith Caf\u00e9 owners, Nate and Johanna Winkler, are seen inside of their business on Wednesday in Durango. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Caf\u00e9 guests are invited to view live blacksmithing in action during open forging hours, and entry-level classes that teach the fundamentals of forging hot steel are also offered.<\/p>\n

The first two-hour blacksmithing class, which costs $125 per person, is scheduled for 3 p.m. April 25 at the storefront.<\/p>\n

The Blacksmith Caf\u00e9 offers all the menu items one would expect at a coffee shop, including coffee via Desert Sun Coffee Roasters, non-coffee drinks like smoothies and yerba mat\u00e9, and pastries and breakfast burritos from local vendors like Odd Bird Baking Co. and Them Cakes Dough. The cafe also serves gelato.<\/p>\n

Food and drink offerings are intentionally accessibly-priced, Winkler said. Most 12-ounce drinks cost $3 to $4, with prices rising around a dollar up through sizes, the largest of which is 20 ounces. Pastries and food cost around $2 to $10.<\/p>\n

The cafe only accepts cash tips, a choice Winkler made to avoid customers being asked to give tips when purchasing a grab-and-go item that does not involve labor from baristas.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t do tips on credit cards, because for counter service, I feel like that\u2019s gotten out of hand,\u201d he said. \u201cYou go in for counter service and they\u2019re like, \u2018Do you want to tip 18% or 25%?\u2019 and it\u2019s like, \u2018What?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The
The newly opened Blacksmith Caf\u00e9 is located at 21738 U.S. Highway 160, Unit A in west Durango. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>Jerry McBride<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The hardware items for sale onsite \u2013 which include keychains, art pieces, hooks, handles and more \u2013 range in price from $5 to over $100.<\/p>\n

Winkler said the shop has already seen good business in its first two weeks, and some customers who wandered in looking for a caffeine boost have ended up leaving with a keyhook, a cabinet handle or a keychain in addition to the latte they came for.<\/p>\n

Winkler, who has a background in food and beverage services as well as blacksmithing, said the cafe-slash-forge is a passion project.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a culmination of bringing aspects of two things that I\u2019ve done that have been important to me in my life together,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He began working in food service when he was 19, and later founded Oregon Yerba Mat\u00e9 Caf\u00e9 in central Oregon, which the website describes as having been \u201cthe only caf\u00e9 in the United States to serve mat\u00e9 in place of coffee.\u201d He also managed a restaurant in Santa Monica, California.<\/p>\n

\"Jordon
Jordon Curley, with Blacksmith Caf\u00e9, makes a coffee drink on Wednesday at the newly opened business. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Six employees, including Johanna, currently work in the coffee shop, and pay begins at $18 per hour, with a raise to $20 after six months of work, Winkler said. Two other blacksmiths besides Winkler work with Element Hardware, and make closer to $25 per hour, he said.<\/p>\n

Winkler took out a $140,000 loan to get the dual shop up and running \u2013 but he\u2019s optimistic the business will do well enough to justify the expense.<\/p>\n

Because Element Hardware was already an established business, the income from the metalworking is able to support fixed costs and rent for the cafe, he said.<\/p>\n

\"Some
Some of the iron work that Nate Winkler, owner of the Blacksmith Caf\u00e9 has made and is for sale at the business. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cAll the cafe has to do right now is cover its own expenses \u2013 payroll and cost of goods, which we\u2019re already doing,\u201d he said. \u201c\u2026 We\u2019re not looking to get rich off the cafe. It\u2019s more about community, and about creating a good vibe and being busy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though Winkler is aware that the La Plata County economy is not always an easy space for small businesses to thrive in, he said he tries not to lead with fear about the business\u2019 future, and intends to keep prices in the cafe low and employees paid well.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course it\u2019s something on my mind,\u201d he said. \u201c\u2026 I really try to focus on never being driven in any of my decisions by fear, but there are things that I\u2019m definitely actively considering, socio-politically, which affects economics.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Oner
Oner Nate Winkler works in his blacksmith shop next to the Blacksmith Caf\u00e9 on Wednesday in Durango. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

For Winkler, the forge-slash-coffee-shop is a catalyst for skillbuilding as much as it is a gathering spot and a space for connection.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really trying to keep alive not only blacksmithing, but just the idea of working with your hands and being resourceful and having these skills,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

epond@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"The
The outdoor area behind the newly opened Blacksmith Caf\u00e9 is dog-friendly. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Next
Next to the Blacksmith Caf\u00e9, owner Nate Winkler works in his blacksmith shop on Wednesday. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Some
Some the jewelry that Nate Winkler, owner of the Blacksmith Caf\u00e9, has made in his blacksmith shop. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Desert
Desert Sun Coffee Roaster makes a proprietary blend of coffee for the Blacksmith Caf\u00e9. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Some
Some of the iron work that Nate Winkler, owner of the Blacksmith Caf\u00e9, has made and is for sale at the coffee shop. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Customer
Customer Ryan Champion works on his computer in the Blacksmith Caf\u00e9 on Wednesday. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"The
The Blacksmith Caf\u00e9 sells Villa Dolce gelato at the coffee shop in west Durango. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2018This is a culmination of bringing aspects of two things that I’ve done that have been important to me in my life together,\u2019 owner says<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":124155,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6410,6412],"tags":[431,439],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-124154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-2","category-business-2-local-news","tag-business-general","tag-food-drink"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=124154"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124154\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/124155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=124154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=124154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=124154"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=124154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}