Jevonna Morris took a winding path to owning Galaxy Coffee, which she opened in June 2022 as a self-described “queer-owned coffee truck.” Before hospitality, she worked in city planning, where she was assigned to research the then up-and-coming South Side Roots Café (now Mid-Ohio Kitchen at Reeb).
The concept sparked something for her. “I just got more and more frustrated I was not running it,” she says. She realized she didn’t want to research third spaces, or the places aside from work or home where people gather, primarily for conversation. Morris wanted to run one herself. She quit her job and started working at a Starbucks to learn the industry.
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And then the pandemic hit—a moment that caused Morris to reevaluate her plans. But the concept of a coffee truck—outdoor, with flexibility to travel—seemed like a solution. Morris and her then-business partner Kels Wilson, who Morris met while working at Starbucks, started an Indiegogo campaign that raised $11,000 to start Galaxy Coffee. The truck began serving drinks in front of Clintonville’s Virtue Vegan Salon, with frequent stops at Columbus Public Health and festivals around town.
But owning a food truck often isn’t smooth ride. Engine troubles were common for Galaxy Coffee, and repair parts were difficult and expensive to come by during the pandemic. Finally, Morris decided to simplify things by finding a permanent location for the truck.
“I literally just walked up to different businesses and knocked on their doors and [was] like, ‘Would you want a food truck parked in front of your building?’ ” she recalls.
After not hearing back from her initial outreach to design business Between State, which was next to a corner lot at North High Street and East Como Avenue in Clintonville she had been eyeing, Morris stopped in with coffee and pastries. She received permission to rent the lot in early 2024, and Galaxy Coffee has been there ever since.
The space gave Galaxy room to implement Morris’ original third space vision. Patio seating is available next to the truck, giving patrons room to hang out and sip their beverages—many of which include the sparkling whimsy that Galaxy is known for. The Galaxy Latte ($7) is topped with a “brown sugar cloud foam,” Morris says, and dusted with pink and purple glitter. For a kick without the caffeine, the Sparkling Unicorn ($5.50) is a refreshing lavender blueberry tea lemonade that shimmers in the light.
Morris says they recently transitioned to making syrups in-house. The Honey Don’t Latte ($7) offers a great way to sample one: a locally sourced honey syrup flavors the drink, which is dusted with cinnamon for a warm, but not-too-sweet, flavor. Morris uses local vendors for many of her products: Coffee beans from Upper Cup, bagels from Sammy’s New York Bagels and vegan pastries from Happy Little Treats and Pattycake Bakery.
Morris is working on plans for community events, including a gallery on the patio, a board game night and book clubs. She says having a stable location has made her dream of founding a third space come true. “We now have regulars,” she says. “We did it. We made something.”
This story appeared in the June 2026 issue of Columbus Monthly. Subscribe here.
This article originally appeared on Columbus Monthly: Queer-Owned Galaxy Coffee Truck Celebrates 4 Years of Sparkles
Reporting by Linda Lee Baird, Columbus Monthly / Columbus Monthly
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