The only place in town with Jean-Luc Godard DVDs and $2 coffee

You go to Faye’s for the $2 tiny drip coffee, you leave with things you never knew you needed. 

Still coming to terms with David Lynch’s passing? There are DVDs of “Blue Velvet” and “Mulholland Drive” for rent by the register, along with an impressive selection of his other films (and a collection of about 10,000 others if you’re more in the mood for some Ryan Coogler or Jean-Luc Godard).

Need a gift for a kid’s birthday party? There are birthday candles, an array of kitschy greeting cards, and a box advertising itself as containing the world’s smallest crayon set.

Need a painting of a cat? Faye’s has got you covered — at least for now. There are several for sale as part of Faye’s “Bench Gallery,” which showcases the work of friends and local artists, and rotates every six weeks.

In a city of cafes focused on just coffee, Faye’s owes its survival to its attentiveness to its customers. With its eccentric offerings and even more eccentric regulars, it gives the people what they want. 

To wit: Justin Lawrence, the shop’s owner, removed a banana chocolate muffin from the pastry case because he suspects that one of the long-time regulars, an elderly neighbor named Joe, would like it.

Nicknamed “the Riff Raff,” when he arrives, Lawrence pulls it out from behind the counter and hands it to him with a flourish. If it isn’t good, threatens Mr. Riff Raff, he’s going to “punch ‘em in the eye.” Lawrence is beside himself with laughter. 

“People like Joe are the reason I still like coming to work,” said Lawrence. “He’s always got a story, and I don’t think I’ve heard the same one twice.” 

For example: In the 1960s, when it was apparently easier to do this sort of thing in San Francisco, Mr. Riff Raff  bought a baby alligator for his kids to have as a pet, only for it to escape onto Valencia Street, never to be seen again. Mr. Riff Raff went back to that same pet store and replaced the missing alligator with a spider monkey. 

Every part of Faye’s history remains a part of the business. The movie rentals have been there since it opened in 1998. The name goes back even further, derived from the old Faye’s Cleaners that once stood in its place. 

When Faye’s present iteration opened in 1998, it was atypical in its multi-purpose nature — a coffee and video-rental store, where patrons could get their coffee hot and their DVDs instantly, all at the same shop.

In the years following, as Netflix and then streaming eroded the DVD rental business, the coffee became the mainstay, and the business slowly started to add friends’ art and retail to the menu.

There is a chalkboard outside that gets a new doodle every day by the barista on duty and another chalkboard as soon as you walk in. The words “be gay, drink Faye’s” and “protect the dolls” are scribbled alongside drawings of kittens and unicorns on the front-facing side of the counter. 

Faye’s is a sliver of a store with six people on staff and usually only one barista working at a time. The Faye’s history runs deep, hosting annual traditions like the Cutest Pet Contest and dog parade, and nearly every sign on the wall has its own story and inside joke. 

Just like the sign under the specials that informs you that the cafe doesn’t offer hemp milk (unless it’s 4/20), and no goat milk unless you bring your own (like a regular did over a decade ago, which inspired a wave of goat-milk latte requests). 

“Faye’s is the weird kid of coffee shops. Not everybody is going to like you, but the weird kid has friends for life,” owner Justin Lawrence said. These life-long friends don’t always end up owning the joint, but in Lawrence’s case, they do.

Faye’s and Lawrence have gone through a lot together. When Lawrence moved to San Francisco in 1996 with the first real love of his life, he fatefully moved into the building right next to what would become Faye’s in 1998.

When that relationship ran its course, it came to an end on the bench right outside the coffee shop. Lawrence has met neighbors, friends and flings all on that outside bench. He got the bench logo tattooed on his shin while he was just a customer. 

“It’s seen kids be born and people die, all of the life things really,” Lawrence said on the impact of the business. 

By 2005, he began working at Faye’s as a barista. A couple of years later, he became a co-owner, buying half of the shares with the money from the a settlement from a childhood car accident. A few years later, he bought out his co-owner completely.

Ever since, Faye’s has become his baby. 

“It’s like a glimpse into my brain. Great coffee, good pastries and weird retail stuff,” he said.

Faye’s is just a couple of years shy of the 30 years of operation that would make it eligible to obtain legacy status from the city. It’s a status that provides long-term businesses assistance that will help the shop remain affordable for its neighbors and regular customers. 

“Maybe I could afford HBO Max if I was charging $4.50 [for a cup of coffee],” he said,  jokingly. “Every year I make less, and everything costs more.” He hopes for another 15 to 20 years behind the counter at Faye’s, and to one day pass it on to someone who will love it as much as he does. 

“We’ve survived, not only through financial hardship and the pandemic,” he said. “We’ve been a part of people’s lives for 27 years.”