Blend of ambiance and a quirky owner gives Another Blessing Cafe its one-of-a-king unique flavor

Quirky owner of Another Blessing Cafe, Eugene Bonner. (photo by Harry Kemp)

by Kia Marie Cook
If there’s one building in the city of Milwaukee that won’t go unnoticed, it’s located on 50th and Vliet streets, and houses a coffee shop.

Just drive west up Vliet Street and there’s no way you’ll miss this one. With an enormous coffee cup perched at the top of its building, Another Blessing Cafe is unmistakable.

And it’s not just because of the edifice--though the building is truly unique especially the inside, where the ceiling is made of scrap metal. The quirky owner adds robust flavor to the mix, making everything a bit perkier.

You’ll see Eugene Bonner on any given day, standing behind the counter with a "Kool-Aid smile," holding a carafe and donning a large coffee-cup hat atop his head.

Bonner opened Another Blessings Cafe nearly one year ago, simply on a whim and things just haven’t been the same.

"It’s something new everyday; something different; something to keep the people’s attention. They never know what’s going on in here," Bonner said.

"If you miss coming here in about two or three days--you just don’t know! You’ve got to peek in before you come in!"

Customers visit the west side coffee house daily looking for a good cup of java, the inspiring--and sometimes wacky--quote of the day, or even a fresh chicken Caesar salad wrap.

In addition to the day to day business, Another Blessing Cafe also holds regular events--any and everything from book signings to "jam sessions" to open mics to the hearing the musical styling of a country singer.

"We try to do something twice a month," Bonner said.

Doing "something" has definitely kept Another Blessing Cafe in good business. So much so that Bonner is in the works of developing a second location within the next year or so.

What started out on a whim has truly turned into "Another Blessing."