Bodacious Shops

Bodacious Shops is a collection of small businesses under one roof at the corner of Palafox and Main streets in downtown Pensacola. The historic two-story building holds a cafe and coffee bar, an in-house coffee roastery, and a shop selling olive oils, balsamic vinegars, kitchen goods and gifts. For visitors, it is a convenient place on the south end of Palafox to grab a coffee and breakfast before a day downtown.

The shops were founded in May 2012 by Quint and Rishy Studer, the Pensacola couple also behind the Blue Wahoos. Over the years the building’s mix has included The Bodacious Olive, The Bodacious Brew coffee shop, a salad bistro, a culinary shop and a bookshop. Today the company describes its Pensacola home as a cafe, olive oil shop, coffee roastery and kitchen wares store, with a sister operation in Wisconsin. The Pensacola roastery supplies fresh beans to both.

The coffee bar pulls espresso drinks and lattes from beans roasted on site, and the cafe menu covers breakfast and lunch. Reviewers have highlighted items such as acai bowls with granola and berries, breakfast wraps, flatbreads, salads and pastries. There is also a Brew Thru service for ordering coffee to go, handy on busy Saturday mornings. The olive oil side of the shop stocks a range of oils and balsamics, which makes it an easy place to pick up a food gift to take home.

The company’s stated mission is to create memorable experiences, and the building leans into that with a mix of places to sit, sip and shop. Bodacious Shops also promotes event space in the building for private gatherings. For a quick visit, the cafe counter is the main stop; for a longer one, browsing the olive oils and kitchen goods next door is an easy way to spend a few extra minutes before heading down Palafox.

According to the company, the cafe is open 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, while the retail shop opens at 9:00 a.m. Hours differ between the cafe and shop and can change seasonally, so check hours before you go.

The building also houses Carmen’s Lunch Bar & Tapas, so it is easy to move from morning coffee to a Spanish-inspired lunch without leaving the corner. Plaza Ferdinand VII, the Pensacola Museum of Art and Historic Pensacola Village are a few minutes away on foot, and Palafox Pier and the waterfront are just south. On Saturdays, Palafox Market vendors fill Plaza Ferdinand VII nearby.