Never Home: The Coffee Pop-Up that Became a Neighborhood Staple for Holy Cross

Sensationally good coffee, from people who truly care about the drink and the people ordering it… no wonder there’s a line out the door. 

It all began last year when Tyler Niehaus and Naja Ferguson struck out from their coffee gigs and took their rig on the road. Never Home Coffee found its first space in Dream Palace last May, where they held regular hours on Mondays while the shop was closed. 

“We just couldn’t find what we were trying to create,” Niehaus. “We came up with this idea of using their space before it sold, so we had a place to start, and it didn’t cost them anything for us to do it.”

Their newly minted pop-up setup led them to the patio at Natural State Provisions last summer; by October, they approached the owners with a more permanent solution.

“As much as we love doing the pop-ups, it is so much extra work that people don’t talk about,” said Niehaus. “We really needed to find a spot where we didn’t have to pack it up and haul it out every time.”

Now, Never Home operates Thursday through Sunday before the bar opens, closing down by 2p.m. each day. They make use of the space when it otherwise would’ve been empty, and rent out a share of the counter space alongside the Natural State crew.

Niehaus said, “If this didn’t work out, we would have known really quickly, and we would have tried to make another plan. But, we really resonate with the people around us, we can tell that they care.”

Their set menu of lattes and matchas, with two to four rotating seasonal flavors each week, is curated by Ferguson, who is hardly ever short on inspiration. 

“My main focus is to use flavors that are unique, something I’d want to try. I try to kind of honor what’s in season, since we’re such a farmland area,” said Ferguson.

Their Cherry Baby, a cherry reduction with vanilla foam, is a flagship drink that Ferguson brought over from Dream Palace. A mix of teddy gram, caramel, and cinnamon called the Lark has become another mainstay. For Ferguson, mocha is a must have on any coffee menu, and her Mocha Baby takes inspiration from the blend she made while consulting for Dream Palace. Never Home also sources their pastries from two bakers who reside at Borage on the west side– one gluten-free baker and one who specializes in vegan pastries.

Slow Pour and Treating People Right

“You treat everyone with respect, and you treat everyone as if they’re walking into your home. If you don’t, that’s a missed opportunity. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect,” said Niehaus.

Ferguson mentioned that one aspect of the original vision was a slow bar, where Niehaus could run cupping sessions and talk through the notes and sources of each coffee. Ferguson ran lattes and espresso drinks as an amenity, which then grew so much in demand that it’s now their main item. Pour overs are an artform, but like most art, they take time. On the weekend, there’s more time for a full service, but there’s not much room for them when you’re working through a rush from open to close. 

“We have done a really good job of trying our best to not let our ego get in the way of it, and really listen to what people want. And in a general sense, this seems like what the people are wanting, you know?” said Niehaus, “Sometimes our lines get pretty crazy, and they still show up every weekend.”

Still, the passion for quality shines through in the house roasts Niehaus and Ferguson brew. The two took a trip earlier this year to New York to taste their way around a variety of roasteries and meet some of the people they’d been partnered with at a distance. They keep a brand called Touchy Coffee stocked. Roasted in Troy, NY, Touchy Coffee dials in based on how it will be brewed. Their Juice Balm is bright and fresh, and mixes up well as a cold brew or sipped slowly as a pour over. On espresso, Never Home has Sure Thing, a “proper city roast” that is made with lattes and espresso shots in mind. SEY is another favorite of the Never Home team; Niehaus is a fan of their transparency when it comes to the sourcing and supply chain.

Watching Niehaus brew up a coferment from Hydrangea is an experience in itself, as he takes care to educate as you sip, and talk about the producers and roasters behind the coffee as well as the flavor profile they’ve managed to create.

New faces have also arrived behind the Never Home bar; as the coffee concept continues to grow, its owner-operators need a bit of room to see what’s next.

“We kind of think that idea of reactivating spaces is kind of what Never Home should be forever,” said Niehaus.

In the meantime, Never Home continues to host a crowd Thursday through Saturday from 9 to 2 and Sundays 10 to 2 at Natural State Provisions, 414 Dorman St., Indianapolis. You can find them on instagram, at @neverhomecoffee where they post updates and Ferguson’s seasonal offerings.