Coffee Makes You Black Closes
Community focused cafe in North Division neighborhood quietly closed last summer.
Coffee Makes You Black, 2803 N. Teutonia Ave. Photo taken April 7, 2025 by Sophie Bolich.
Coffee Makes You Black, a restaurant, cafe and community hub in Milwaukee’s North Division neighborhood, has closed after more than 20 years in business.
Co-owner Djdade Denson cited financial challenges and the need for significant building renovations as key factors in the decision. “We just weren’t able to pull it all together,” he said, noting that the closure took effect in August.
Located at 2803 N. Teutonia Ave., the business opened in 2001 under Bradley Thurman and his wife, Laurie. It was later taken over by Denson and his late father, Ron “Xhongo” Johnson.
More than just a restaurant, Coffee Makes You Black — described as an “urban Afrocentric space” — served as a conduit for social, political and economic resources in the area. The business regularly organized events ranging from jazz nights to political roundtables, all with the goal of uplifting and empowering residents of the surrounding neighborhoods.
Through programs including an annual father-son retreat, culinary job training, reentry guidance and counseling services, as well as partnerships with organizations like Teens Grow Greens and Big Dave Inner-City Hunting Club for Teens, the impact of Coffee Makes You Black extended well beyond the cafe’s African art-filled walls.
The name Coffee Makes You Black further reflected cultural pride by confronting the myth that drinking coffee can darken one’s skin. As stated on the business’s website, “The name consciously destigmatizes Blackness by taking a jab at an old derogatory saying. Instead of burying this example of our history, Coffee Makes You Black takes it head-on and reclaims the saying.”
The northside building, originally constructed in 1926, was once home to Teutonia Avenue State Bank. It’s now under the ownership of Lonnie Slocum, registered agent for Graceful Living, LLC. Following the departure of Coffee Makes You Black, several food trucks have applied to use its commercial kitchen as a base.
Though Coffee Makes You Black is now part of the neighborhood’s history, Denson continues to move forward. With a civil engineering degree from Marquette University, he’s helped carry out major construction and renovation projects, and also serves as Camp Director for Camp Xhongo Peace, an annual father-son retreat.
And there’s more to come. “We have a few ideas about which way we can go, but nothing tangible yet,” he said.
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