Amore Coffee

Amore Coffee has been a West St. Paul neighborhood fixture since the early 1990s, operating under the philosophy of supporting local, independent coffee shops. The current owner, Tara Wright, purchased the business in 2019 after working her way up from barista to management over nine years under the previous owner, Nancy Braymeyer.

The shop roasts its own beans in-house, with an experienced roaster on staff who has been with Amore for over eleven years and who trained Wright in the craft. In a video profile by Mike Brown on YouTube, Wright names the light roast Costa Rica as her favorite coffee offering, and highlights the Vienna — a honey and cinnamon latte — as her top menu drink.

Beyond coffee, Amore operates as a full-service café with espresso drinks, lattes, soups, sandwiches, salads, and wraps, and maintains a conference room available for business meetings. The shop also hosts community events including live music and comedy. Wright credits a staff of 18–20 and strong neighborhood support as central to the operation, noting the community backing allowed the shop to pivot to curbside service during the pandemic without closing.