Christian Watts didn’t originally plan on moving to Pittsburgh, even though his brother lives here.
Hurricane Helene destroyed Asheville, N.C., where he owned 10th Muse Comfort Food, which sold sweets such as ice cream and donuts.
Since both of his locations were destroyed by the storm, he decided to relocate, rebrand, and open a new shop in downtown Pittsburgh.
Named Origin Story Coffee, the shop sells coffees, lattes, waffles and more. The item on the menu that Watts believes is the best and is most proud of is “The Force,” a latte that mixes Nutella and cookie butter.
Right outside the shop, a small, black sign indicates that they are open for business. Inside, the walls of the shop are decorated with images of pop culture iconography, particularly an image of Rosy the Riveter sticking out.
The tables are decorated with themed images as well. One table was imprinted with images relating to Power Rangers.
When discussing why he named his business Origin Story Coffee, Watts said it was about being true to oneself.
“If you were to think about your life as a book or a movie, be the hero of your own story.” Watts said. “Think of what the hero would do and do that. That’s kind of our message to the world.”
He sees the messaging of his shop as a counter-narrative to what he views as a negative media environment in the U.S.
Watts said that the business has been slow to start since opening last December, but they are already getting regular customers, with more people are finding out about the place as time goes on. He is confident he will find business success just as he did originally in Asheville, N.C.
Emily Staub, a sophomore student from Duquesne University, found the coffee shop due to the place that she typically orders from being closed for the day. “I like all the decor in here,” Staub said.. “The owner was very, very nice and very welcoming.”
Dealing with the destruction of Hurricane Helene was a challenge for Watts. He said the devastation caused by the storm could not be understated.
“At the time I didn’t believe that the things we were living through in Asheville could even happen in America,” Watts said. “I am a lot more optimistic now than I was.”
In the future, Origin Story Coffee would like to allow Point Park students to use their Flex Dollars to purchase items from the store. “We wanted to be able to accept that here so that we could be an option, because of our proximity for students to use their food card here,” Watts said.
Point Park’s administrators typically say the university’s small population is not enough to entice business owners to accept Flex Dollars or offer student discounts. However, they’re open to collaborating with small businesses such as Origin Story.
When discussing his thoughts on Pittsburgh, Watts said, “I’ve said this several times to several people: Pittsburgh may be the best kept secret in America. Pittsburgh is very special in the way that it still feels very Midwest and friendly and authentic and you can have real authentic conversations with folks.”
Located at 309 Smithfield St., Origin Story Coffee is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
