A pull-behind camper has been reborn as a coastal-themed coffee shop in Oxford, and it is already drawing crowds long enough to snake across a gravel lot and spill onto the street. Daybreak Coffee, owned by Maya Robinson and Alexandra McFall, has settled into a permanent semester spot at 304 W. Collins St., right beside Shademakers, after debuting earlier this month behind Ace Hardware on West Spring Street.
The truck's first day out, on September 5, saw the line grow across the gravel car lot and onto Spring Street as students and community members turned out to try its featured drinks, according to The Miami Student. That opening day, the truck operated from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Reese Paudicz, a sophomore accounting major at Miami University, waited 30 minutes in line for a taste.
From Charleston Coffee Counter to Ohio Camper
Robinson and McFall share a long-lasting friendship and a passion for coffee that traces back to their time working together at a coffee shop in Charleston, South Carolina, per the same account. That stint in Charleston inspired the truck's coastal theme, and the pair began planning the Oxford business in June, aiming to bring beachy vibes to a landlocked college town. Daybreak Coffee sources its beans, syrups and other products from the South to keep that Lowcountry feel intact.
Robinson said the shop brings a piece of vacation to Oxford, a sentiment that seems to be resonating with early customers. Kiara Amador, a senior psychology major, said she loved Daybreak Coffee on her first visit and has since become a regular after the truck's opening weekend.
A Fixture for the Semester
With the move to West Collins Street, Robinson and McFall have established a permanent semester location for the business, meaning Oxford residents and Miami students will have steady access to the truck through the fall term. Daybreak Coffee is now open Wednesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to noon, a tighter window than its debut-day hours but a more predictable one for regulars planning their morning coffee run.
The truck's new home beside Shademakers Garden Center gives it a fixed address after weeks of buzz following that first gravel-lot line. For now, the plan is simply to remain in Oxford for the semester, giving the camper-turned-coffee-shop time to build on the momentum from its opening weeks.
