SAN MARCOS — Back in 2021, when he was still looking for a location to open his own Encinitas-based coffee shop, entrepreneur Jon Runion made a living opening coffee shops for several other companies.
Among them was Copa Vida in the North City area of San Marcos, where Runion worked for eight months before leaving to open his own shop, Necessity Coffee, in an alleyway in Encinitas. Runion didn’t expect that in just a few years, Necessity would become a destination for unique, specialty-crafted tea and coffee drinks in North County.
This success led the shop to upgrade from its humble location between a smog shop and a mechanic shop to a new downtown Encinitas location earlier this year. It also expanded to San Marcos — in fact, to the same storefront at 250 North City Drive where Runion had worked in 2021, which Copa Vida vacated earlier this year.
Necessity Coffee held its grand opening in North City on March 7, just a couple of months after opening its new Encinitas shop on Second Street. For Runion, the back-to-back openings have been an affirmation of his hard work over the past few years.
“It’s a really special place, and we’re grateful to be here and stoked with the way Necessity is growing in a short amount of time,” Runion said.
Runion said he was approached by Darren and Gary Levitt of SeaBreeze Properties, the developer of the urban North City area near Cal State San Marcos, about moving into the North City location before Copa Vida vacated it.
After some consideration and discussion with his wife, he said it felt like a great next step.
“It just felt right, you know? It’s like, I already opened the shop one time, I know it, I know what it could be, I know it’s got good potential,” Runion said. “They [Gary and Darren] believed in me … and I feel super grateful to them for that.”
After a successful opening weekend in North City, the shop is getting more into a groove, with a regular flow of Cal State San Marcos students and other customers. He said the warm reception has been encouraging.
“I’m glad we could bring what Necessity is to this area, and already have it be received so well,” Runion said. “To already receive such great feedback and welcoming arms has been really cool.”
Along with classics like cappuccinos, cold brew, and single-origin coffees, Necessity is known for its rotating menu of specialty drinks, including cocktail-inspired coffees and teas that boast strong flavors such as blood orange, pineapple, lime, matcha, and hibiscus.
Customers can also enjoy breakfast and lunch items such as a tomato tartine with whipped ricotta, a breakfast sandwich on house-made focaccia, a citrus salad, and several house-made pastries, including scones, croissants, and flavored loaves.
Necessity is also a specialty coffee roaster, providing single-origin coffees from Colombia, Costa Rica, and Ethiopia. The shop also partners with farmers on more creative coffee products such as IPA co-ferments and nitro-macerated coffees.
Necessity Coffee’s San Marcos location is open 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. seven days a week at 250 North City Drive.
The Encinitas location at 687 2nd Street is open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week. For more information, visit necessitycoffee.com.
