A view of Café 1948. The business was awarded “Best Commercial Interior” for populations over 50K in the Downtown Texas Awards. 

Café 1948 Coffee and Juice Co. was named the “Best Commercial Interior” for populations over 50,000, recently announced in the Downtown Texas Awards.

“Winning the award was a huge surprise and honor for my wife Amber and I,” said Samuel Richmann, owner of Café 1948. “We have poured our hearts into designing this place, with little details we thought no one would ever notice.”

A lot of hard work went into designing the interior of Café 1948, Richmann said. Having those efforts recognized validates every detail that went into making Café 1948 what it is today, he said.

When it came to the interior of their business, Richmann and his wife wanted something that was “transformative and innovative compared to the customer’s ‘norm,’” he said.

He said the design process included paying attention to every detail, including the feel, smell and sights people would see. From the surfaces in the space to the positive acoustics, every element in Café 1948 is meant to invoke rhythm.

Café 1948 was opened in downtown Tyler in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was not ideal, Richmann said. However, the business pushed through thanks to the Tyler community.

“We have seen the business grow in a very organic way,” he said. “The demand for what we were serving was much greater than anticipated, and our loyal community was much stronger than we could (have) ever hoped.”

Although Café 1948 is fairly new to downtown, Richmann said he and his wife’s involvement in the growth of downtown began in 2015 when they helped start Lightbox Collective, a business that helps other businesses connect with their customers.

Back then, they would park the Café 1948 trailer out front of the business, he added.

Now, Richmann said he and his wife, Amber, are looking forward to opening a second location where they can continue providing customers with a unique experience.

“Downtown growth and development is why we live here,” he said. “The community is growing and thriving, we are just humbled and honored to be such a large part of it.”

Richmann said both he and his wife are thankful for the community and city. After all, “You are the reason we are here, and we truly enjoy serving you,” he said.