Designed to be “a place for boots, suits, hippies and techies,” Genuine Joe effortlessly provides an atmosphere that any of the above would find welcoming. “We wanted a place where anyone could feel comfortable,” Swainston says of the shop’s genesis. “Not just college kids, or just the elderly.” But on a typical evening amongst the golden couches and mismatched chairs in this converted home — one of the first built in the area, back in the 1930s or 40s, and with all the character that implies — you’ll find college kids and elderly patrons. And businessmen, and soccer moms, and writers, artists, and musicians honing their crafts… all of them equally at home within the art-draped walls, partaking in WiFi, specialty beverages, and the company of others.

Genuine Joe, just celebrating its first anniversary, is part of a new guard of businesses — including the Alamo Drafthouse, Encore Records, tattoo parlors, and interior Mexican restaurants — slowly but surely transforming Anderson Lane into a hip, quintessentially Austin stretch of road. When scouting the location, Levi and Swainston walked through the neighborhood and talked to its residents. The overwhelming consensus? “People here were waiting for this kind of place,” Levi says. “The location is nestled into the neighborhood; you can walk to it. That’s given us a solid group of regulars, and new people are discovering us all the time.”

What keeps customers coming back is the coffeehouse’s extensive menu, and the baristas ready and willing to walk a new patron though it. Both of the owners are enthusiastic about their knowledgeable staff. “Some places,” Levi laments, “the attitude is, if you don’t know everything there is to know about coffee and just how to order it, you’re not ‘in.’ We don’t buy that. We never want to make people uncomfortable about asking questions.” And when a customer finds a favorite drink, the guys know it’s important that the experience can be duplicated. “We try hard to stay consistent,” Swainston says, “and to make sure all the baristas are on the same page on our drinks.”

It’s a page with a stunning list of coffee beverages and teas — as well as locally baked pastries, fresh sandwiches, soups, smoothies, and even breakfast tacos — but the house specialty is a delicious concoction dubbed the 3-Way. A mocha flavored with dark chocolate, white chocolate, and caramel, the drink sounds overpoweringly sweet… but, paradoxically, the coffee flavor shines through, and the syrups blend to gently accent the nuttiness of the roast.

As Anderson Lane continues to come into its own, Genuine Joe is in the unique position of being both a cozy neighborhood meeting place and a member of the vanguard of change. It’s entirely possible that, even now, the architects of the area’s next great surge forward are drawing up blueprints while sipping on lattes and bubble teas, relaxing into the sofas, and listening to eclectic live music… all, of course, under the gentle guidance of the Rules of the Road.