Feature: The Merchant in Long Beach

This one-year-young coffee shop sits on a baby corner in Bixby Knolls touting "coffee, bread and provisions." It's a cottage-y feeling hipster dwarf's house by the size and subway-tiling of it, minimal but comfy seating inside, with some outlets for laptop work. I went on a quiet Tuesday morning so I can imagine weekends are even tougher to snag a table (or outlet), but seating and charging were readily available that day.
The Merchant has Stumptown offerings so I didn't feel compelled to get any black coffee, instead I noticed they had 1883-brand syrups, & I think they do the best vanilla, so I got a vanilla latte which was expectantly smooth. The miniature interior was enjoyable, I felt compelled to read a book or whittle a bird call in the luscious, homey surrounding.
​If you're in the BK area, stop by The Merchant for a quaint lapse in reality and a cup of coffee. I'll be back for a fresh, homemade pastry!
My ratings for The Merchant:
Study spot? 1 star (no WiFi)
Quality pour over? N/A
Espresso? 5 stars
Seating? 3 stars
First date spot? 2 stars
Customer Service? 4 stars