When Black Forge Coffee announced it would close its 7-year-old Allentown location in May, its regulars were devastated — not least among them the shop’s owner, Ashley Corts. Stretched thin from two years spent overseeing both the Allentown and McKees Rocks storefronts, plus selling her coffee at traveling shows to make supplemental income, Corts had made the “tough decision” to scale down.
But thanks to Kelly Braden, co-owner of oddities shop The Weeping Glass and Corts’ good friend, the heavy metal-themed coffee shop has risen from near-death: Braden, herself a fan of Black Forge, has taken over ownership of the location as the brand’s first franchisee. The newly renovated location has its soft reopening Thursday, July 14, with a larger, grand opening tentatively slated for sometime in August.
For Corts, the prospect of franchising her brand was initially a “scary” one, but she was ultimately happy to let a trusted friend take the reins. “When [Kelly] offered and wanted to take it over, I was a lot more relieved,” she said. “I feel like I can breathe again.”
“Black Forge is my everything. I’m really passionate about what I have and what I’ve helped build.” —founder Ashley Corts
Corts founded Black Forge in 2015 as a way to marry her interests in coffee and heavy metal music: The shop has black-painted walls studded with offbeat prints and a themed menu with drinks including “Hellhound” (iced espresso, dark chocolate, chili, cinnamon and cream) and “Black Hole” (six espresso shots over ice). It also originally doubled as a music venue for metal bands, until upstairs neighbors complained. Occupying a unique niche, the business quickly gained a loyal following in the up-and-coming area.
In 2019, riding a wave of popularity, Corts opened a second location in McKees Rocks, with more seating and a license to host live music. There was also enough room for roasting equipment, with Black Forge roasting beans from small farms, then packing them into unique blends for retail and wholesale.
Then COVID hit. As sales declined rapidly at both locations, Corts hit the road to make some extra cash, selling her wares across the country as part of the traveling Oddities & Curiosities Expo and at the occasional pop-up shop. But with two storefronts to keep afloat, the supplemental income wasn’t enough to make ends meet. Corts filed for bankruptcy.
“I was at the lowest of my low at that point,” she said.
Corts went before a judge and pleaded her case, explaining the passion she has for her business and her employees. The judge decided to classify her case a Subchapter V bankruptcy, allowing her to keep her business and property and making a plan to pay back her debts over several years.
“I just remember at the end of the last bankruptcy court call that we had, he’s just like, ‘I believe in you, and I believe in giving you another chance to try and fix this mess,’” said Corts. “If I wasn’t given that second chance, I would probably be homeless.”
Able to keep her business, but still facing steep monthly bills to pay off the debt, Corts decided closing the less-profitable Allentown would be a smart business decision, if a painful one. “I kind of had to take a step back and focus on what works,” she said. “I didn’t want to do it.”
That’s when Braden stepped in. Citing Black Forge as an early inspiration for her to found her own Allentown business, an oddities and curiosities shop down the street that draws a similar fanbase, she was as sad as anyone to see the coffeehouse go. “I love this place. It’s like a part of me,” she said.
Braden sat down with Corts and crunched the numbers. Even though the shop hadn’t grown since prior to the pandemic, Braden thought it could still be a profitable venture. “Why change it? Nothing’s broken. It just needs a little bit more attention paid to it.”
“I was like, ‘Girl, if you want to save it, I only trust you to do it,’” Corts recalled.
In somewhat of a snap decision, Braden offered to take over ownership of the location, and Corts accepted. “It fell out of my mouth very quickly. That’s kind of how I do things,” Braden said, laughing. “Just dive in and figure it out.” (It’s worth noting that Braden knows the coffee industry, having worked as a manager at the now-closed Zeke’s Coffee in East Liberty.)
As of this month, Braden owns the Allentown Black Forge.
For the past few weeks, it’s been closed for renovations — including expanded seating options and other “cosmetic upgrades” — but Braden said it will retain the same menu and signature Black Forge branding when it reopens.
To increase the location’s profitability, Braden plans to test new revenue streams, such as introducing discount cards for people who work in the neighborhood, hosting lectures and panels, and adding a weekend brunch menu.
“I think [Kelly]’s going to do an amazing job,” said Corts. “She’s going to put in all the love and care that I wasn’t able to because I have so much going on.”
Corts is still “struggling” to keep her business afloat while footing “astronomical” monthly debt payments. Because of her bankrupt status during the pandemic, her business was not eligible to receive COVID-19 relief payments from the government.
She currently splits her time — two weeks on, two weeks off — between managing the McKees Rocks location and touring the country in her Black Forge van, selling coffee at expos and pop-up shops.
But she said establishing this first franchise is a step in the right direction. Eventually, she hopes to regain the momentum her business had pre-pandemic, and to expand her unique business to franchises in at least a couple major cities.
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but I’ve made a lot of really positive things happen, too,” she said. Though she’s traveled the country, Corts said she’s never come across another heavy metal coffee shop — and she’s looked.
“Black Forge is my everything,” said Corts. “I’m really passionate about what I have and what I’ve helped build.”
Black Forge Coffee: 1206 Arlington Ave., Allentown, and 701 Chartiers Ave., McKees Rocks; blackforgecoffee.com
Maliya Ellis: mellis@post-gazette.com
First Published: July 13, 2022, 10:00 a.m.
Updated: July 13, 2022, 10:02 a.m.