Tim Carter never gives up. It’s a mentality he says stems from his basketball upbringing and Las Vegas roots, growing up in a city that prides itself on bouncing back.
That’s why Carter didn’t seriously consider permanently closing BLVD Coffee, the Downtown shop he opened March 6 with his brother, former UNLV player Ben Carter.
Two weeks later, Gov. Steve Sisolak ordered nonessential businesses in the state to close temporarily—a significant blow to any small business, let alone one that had only been open a few days.
“We were thinking we’d be closed maybe a month or so, and we’d be back to normal,” Carter said. “Two months went by, and we were still shut down. We weren’t sure what to do. We were taking it day by day, but not once did we think about throwing in the towel. That’s not how we were raised.”
Just north of the Strip, in the shadow of Rick Harrison’s Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, BLVD Coffee reopened in mid-May.
The brothers, who own the shop with a third area business partner, were both standouts at Bishop Gorman High School, where they won a combined three state championships before going on to college careers.
After graduating from Oregon’s Warner Pacific University, Tim, 28, knew he wanted to come back to Las Vegas, but he wasn’t quite sure what he wanted to do. When the opportunity presented itself to run a coffee shop, he jumped at it.
“I love Vegas. There’s nothing you can’t get here, besides the beach,” he said. “I hope to be successful with this business and maybe branch out eventually to other businesses.”
His father, Mike Carter, has been very involved in the venture, too, spending his free time at the shop and helping behind the counter. He’s a basketball junkie who helps coach Gorman and local club teams. He also played professionally overseas for nearly two decades.
“I’m a people person, so I love to come and hang out,” Mike said. “I’ve been around a lot of different cultures. It’s fun to see the different people who come down here.”
Though business has been slow to pick up again—a result of Las Vegas essentially being shut down to visitors for more than two months—being so close to a famous pawnshop doesn’t hurt foot traffic.
Harrison’s store, of course, is the site of the hit TV series Pawn Stars, which airs on the History channel.
“You can feel the energy down here,” Tim said. “Those [Pawn Stars] guys have been really great to us. There’s a lot of people that come through this area, and if we can attract some of them and also work on the local market, that’s the plan. We’d love to get a core group of locals from around the area.”
BLVD Coffee is located at Pawn Plaza, an open-air, two-story building a short walk from the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop that houses a number of other small businesses.
The shop is geared mostly toward folks on the go, but there’s also a sit-down area with a few tables for those who want to take a load off.
“It’s a cool little place,” Harrison said. “I think they’re going to be really busy. There’s a lot of lawyers in this area who I think will stop by and grab a coffee in the morning. It’s a nice change from Starbucks.”
Though Ben is away—he’ll be back in August—he’s still in daily contact with his brother, getting the latest info on how the business is running.
And Tim said he doesn’t see any quitting in his hometown, mirroring his own life philosophy.
“One thing sports has taught me is that you have to be true to the course,” Tim Carter said. “I know it sounds cliché, but you have to stay positive. You have to keep that forward momentum going. Vegas will bounce back. That’s what we do.”