San Antonio coffeehouse closes Beacon Hill location after brief run

One of San Antonio’s best spots for a cup of joe has hit a snag in its journey. Folklores Coffee House has shuttered its Beacon Hill location at 106 Michigan Ave. as it focuses on renovating its Government Hill flagship.

“This one is a hard one to write,” Folklores said in a social media statement. “Opening that shop was a leap of faith, and watching it become part of the neighborhood meant more to us than we can put into words. To our regulars, our friends, our staff, and everyone who supported us along the way — thank you.”

Emilie and Joel “Tatu” Herrera opened the second shop in January 2025 in a space shared with CheeseMé. The latter left Beacon Hill the following January to begin work on its new Pearl-area location, but Folklores stuck it out.

This isn’t the first trial that the Herreras have faced. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the opening of the first Folklores. Winter Storm Uri hit the next year. In 2022, Tatu was rushed to the hospital after an auto collision.

The Beacon Hill location experienced its own hardships, most recently a loss of power after the freak August 28 storm. It’s unclear if the loss of business contributed to the closure decision.

Still, throughout it all, the couple remained some of the restaurant community’s most strident humanitarians, delivering hot meals to tens of thousands of elderly neighbors.

Although the Beacon Hill shop has shuttered, the couple has plenty on their plate. In March 2025, Tatu opened Desert Spoon inside Spring Creek Gardens in Spring Branch. More recently, he has been consulting with Casa Rio, where he first began his restaurant career.

And the Government Hill Folklores at 1941 N. New Braunfels Ave. is still pulling shots, even as it weathers the chaos of construction work. After a brief closure on September 1, it reopened Wednesday, September 2.

“Government Hill… we dare you to put us in the weeds,” posted the business, ever in good humor. “Come order all the things, keep us busy, and make us work for it!”

Folklores did not immediately return a request for more information.