The Patrons of the 8th Note

A dimly-lit room populated by configurations of couches and coffee tables, 8th Note, a nonprofit, student-org-led coffeehouse located at the center of the Union’s ground floor, elicits a beatnik-type of atmosphere to the casual passerby. Torn-out sketchbook drawings, prints of prehistoric creatures, and magic cards are tacked to a black wall; “99 Red Balloons” plays softly from the speakers; coffee drinkers pepper the stretches of tall chairs lining the counter. The menu lists drinks with monikers such as Patsy’s Coconut Parade, Zigazigah, and Vote for Porkins.

8th Note’s patrons are even more compelling than the shop itself. Looking around, one might see a group of six surrounding a coffee table decked with Dungeons & Dragons cards, or studious faces illuminated by laptop screens, or students with backpacks tucked under their heads, napping among the hum of coffeehouse chatter.

Students Aziza Davis and Andrew Klug frequent 8th Note daily and are familiar with most of the shop’s regulars, greeting them as they pass by their table. The two met through a mutual friend’s Dungeons & Dragons group. Similar groups of friends meet here, playing D&D and other various role-playing and video games.

“This is absolutely, like, the be all, end all kind of hub for all of UWM’s nerdiest folk,” Klug says. “It’s a good crowd.”

Davis is one of the 8th Note volunteers that help run the shop. She remembers the first time she set foot in 8th Note: She was in high school, visiting UW-Milwaukee’s campus for a robotics competition when she wandered into the tucked-away coffee shop.

“I looked at the names of our coffee drinks, and I was like, yeah, I want a Mr. 5000 Robo Mocha,” Davis says reminiscently. “I promised the people behind the counter that I would come back when I started college. And I did.”

8th Note has a certain allure that draws in people of all kinds. David and Klug attribute the appeal to a number of atmospheric factors, including the dark lighting, the white noise, and the unassailable character. The affordable prices of the colorfully named coffee drinks certainly don’t hurt, either.

“It’s a really good fix,” Klug says of the inexpensive coffee. “And I don’t sleep at all, so I need it in the morning.”

“I sleep a lot,” Davis adds, “so I need it in the morning.”

As the bustle of the coffee shops starts to die down and customers filter out, Davis and Klug both agree that 8th Note is place where people of all disciplines can gather for company, coffee, or simply white noise, and where unlikely friendships can be forged.

“It’s a place where people can come and be themselves and not worry about being themselves,” Davis says. “You come in here, and you hear people laughing.”