Tuesdays in my Town - Pearson Soda Works Building and Cozmic Cafe

This week I'd like to show you one of the coolest historic buildings in Placerville:

the Pearson Soda Works Building,

which was added to the national register of historic places in 1985.

There is much to learn about the history of this incredible building, but to make a long story short it was built in the 1850s by an Irishman named John McFarland Pearson who used the built-in mining tunnel to store ice that he brought down from the mountains. He branched into making soda water and cream soda, and sold groceries like eggs and beer. Later his sons built the upstairs portion as a bottling room.

And now look at it!

The old historic building now houses a favorite local hang out, eatery and bar, the Cozmic Cafe.

And the reason that is especially exciting is that our friends Jacob and Alisa Mingle are the proud recently new owners of the Cozmic Cafe!

Below is Jacob playing his amazingly heart-wrenching music under the name "Treesus" which you can check out here.

You might recognize the location from so many of my photos because it is one of the only venues in town for shows and dance parties. I have many more photos of that aspect of Cozmic than the food or drinks, but trust me, get the Nachos Nirvana. Plus they have a brand new espresso machine.

Last week Addie's band and Darin and Joey's band all played at a rad show there and like usual, I had waaaayyy too much fun.

Addie in Coal Beautiere (amazing. her songs are the stuff of my gold rush dreams)

and she tap dances.

I wore a newly thrifted Hawaiian dress with a big floofy flower in my hair and my lovely friends and husband convinced me to feel confident in this get-up!

The Mingle's littlest sibling and only sister, Kara, works the bar. She's calm, cool, collected and utterly beauteous!

Pretty friends Bridget and Jenny hanging out, drinking IPA and loving life.

It's family friendly! Here's one of Placerville's finest babes, Juniper, who has a musical soul.

Oh I almost forgot to mention the reason for the show: this adorable band called John Heart Jackie came to town! OH MY! How I loved them. I have been listening to their album obsessively ever since. Check them out if you want to float away on imaginary rivers of whale's tails and cinnamon toast and campfires.

Sorry, didn't mean to let my Cozmic Cafe/historic building post turn into a music post. But it all comes together in one big happy summer night Placerville world and I wish you could all be here!

My point is, come meet me at Cozmic just like Amber and Mycie did and we'll hang out and have a smoothie or a beer.

Fun fact: Addie now works at Cozmic too, tending bar upstaris with Kara.

Hey loves, c'mon up!

One last thing. There is a real live historic mine going back into the hillside, with cool moist stone walls and weird old wooden gold rush relics. I don't have any pictures, but even if I did I'm sure the ghosts would hide away in the dark.