Last week, Michael Klein sounded the alarm that Elixr was opening a 2nd location at 315 N. 12th St., in the first floor space at the Goldtex Building. The story indicated a soft opening on Thursday, and that they were giving out free coffee. We enjoy free stuff as much as anyone, so we jetted over there to grab a cup of the good stuff. And as we’ve experienced many times at Elixr, the stuff was good indeed.

As you might expect, given their handsome space on Sydenham Street in Center City, their new location is very well put together, with a stylish interior and rustic touches. Not only does the new space include a cafe, but it’s also got a roasting facility in the rear, so when you check this place out, you’ll probably smell the coffee halfway down the block so you’ll know when you’re getting close. And you won’t be confusing Elixr with all the other coffee shops in the neighborhood, because as far as we can think, there aren’t any others. And before you tell us that Cafe Lift literally has the word cafe in its name, we’re talking coffee shops here, not awesome brunch places.

The opening of the new Elixr is yet another indication of the gentrification taking place in this part of town. Perhaps the contemporary renovation of Goldtex a few years ago was a much clearer sign, but the cafe does take things to another level. While Elixr will serve Goldtex residents and other neighbors in the area, it should also have a decent stream of customers that come from other parts of town and are only visiting the area to check out the still fresh and quite sunny Rail Park. And as more people come to Callowhill from outside the neighborhood, we imagine more people will consider moving here or opening businesses here, which should only improve the bottom line for the neighborhood’s newest cafe. Then again, more neighbors and businesses might result in additional competition; just don’t expect any from us.