For months, the black awning at 824 W. 50th St. hung with a logo unfamiliar in Minneapolis. Shortwave Coffee. A coffee shop from Missouri. Huh.

And then quietly, in late January, Shortwave Coffee opened its doors, finally.

Turns out, owner Murad Mohammad wasn’t in a rush. But let’s back up a second.

Shortwave Coffee is a coffee shop based out of Columbia, Missouri. Mohammad has five siblings. At one point, they all lived in Missouri. There, they started an olive oil import business, Boone Olive Oil. In the alley next to their building was a coffee shop called Shortwave Coffee. It was an underground coffee shop. You had to know about it. There wasn’t even a business sign.

“It was our favorite coffee shop,” Mohammad said.

An opportunity came up to purchase the shop and the siblings grabbed it. The previous owners even allowed them to keep the name.

“It was a no brainer to take it over,” Mohammad said.  

The Mohammad siblings dialed in the roasting and updated the branding and soon after opened up a second location not far from the first. As the siblings began developing careers outside of the coffee and olive oil import industries, some of them moved away from Missouri.

Mohammad settled in Minnesota and worked as a lawyer. He recently transitioned out of that career and bought a house in the Lynnhurst neighborhood. He noted the empty storefront on 50th Street and joked with his siblings about opening up a Minneapolis Shortwave location there.

And then he seriously went for it and Mohammad started working on his passion project.

Aesthetically, the quaint spot on 50th Street is a mishmash of art and decor, with most things bought locally or made by Mohammad or his daughter.

“A reflection on myself and my daughter,” is how Mohammad described the space.

Take the front bench, for example. Mohammad constructed the bench and painted it white. His daughter suggested the bright teal accents on the legs. Her art is on display at the coffee shop, too.

The Shortwave letter art was also done by Mohammad, with ample credit given to YouTube videos.

Shortwave Coffee roasts their own coffee beans and will be expanding their offerings in the spring and summer. Look out for their blood orange tea. He also has a special drink in the works with his daughter slated to be called I Love Pink.

Shortwave Coffee is located at 824 W. 50th St. and is open 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. daily.