How a Former 'Bed Bar' Became Beijing’s First E-Commerce Café

When a once-trendy "bed bar" in one of Beijing’s oldest hutong districts closed its doors, few expected it to reopen as a pioneering hybrid: a 700-square-foot café built not just for drinking coffee, but for experiencing a fully integrated online-to-offline retail concept. On October 26, this reinvented space—now David’s Coffee in Beijing’s historic Drum Tower neighborhood—officially opened to the public, drawing media, entrepreneurs, and over a hundred crowdfunders for its launch party.

Yes, this former “bed bar” is now a real café. David’s Coffee occupies a century-old courtyard building in Beijing’s Zhangwang Hutong near the Drum Tower, blending historic architecture with a 700-sq-ft layout that includes a coffee bar, cigar lounge, glass-walled sunroom, and VIP tasting room—all launched via a successful crowdfunding campaign that attracted nearly 300 supporters and thousands of online advocates.

From Bed Bar to Specialty Coffee Hub

The new David’s Coffee sits in a quiet, historic hutong area of Beijing that has hosted both imperial residences and commoners’ homes—but without the crowds of nearby hotspots like Houhai or Nanluoguxiang. Its 700-square-foot space includes a main café area, a cigar lounge, a full-glass sunroom, and a VIP wine-tasting room (private dining). Despite its vintage brickwork and ancient wooden beams, every piece of furniture, from rustic American leather sofas to abstract oil paintings, was hand-selected to match the café’s modern-minimalist aesthetic.

What Is an E-Commerce Café?

David’s Coffee isn’t just another scenic café in Beijing. It’s the first physical location for David’s Selection, an independent e-commerce brand. More than serving coffee, it functions as a real-world extension of the online store, pioneering a two-way O2O (online-to-offline) model. Customers can browse products displayed in the café, scan QR codes or enter a phone number, and use their accumulated online coupons or points to pay—then either take their purchase home immediately or have it shipped. The system allows full integration of online discounts, loyalty points, and product availability between David’s Selection’s website and the physical café.

Creative Coffee & Launch Night

On opening night, the café’s management invited guests to sample three special drinks: iced drip coffee, macaron coffee, and lemon coffee. The event, dubbed "David’s Night," became a gathering point for entrepreneurs and media, all discussing the future of e-commerce cafés and sharing startup stories over coffee. The launch offered more than just a first taste of the space—it teased how physical and digital retail experiences might merge in specialty coffee culture.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is David’s Coffee?

David’s Coffee is a 700-square-foot café located in Beijing’s Zhangwang Hutong near the Drum Tower. It serves as the first offline retail location for the e-commerce brand David’s Selection and features a coffee bar, cigar lounge, sunroom, and VIP tasting room.

Where is David’s Coffee located?

David’s Coffee is situated in the historic Zhangwang Hutong, close to Beijing’s Drum Tower, in a century-old courtyard building that blends traditional architecture with modern interior design.

What makes David’s Coffee different from other cafés?

David’s Coffee operates as an e-commerce café, functioning as both a café and a physical retail extension of the online brand David’s Selection. It offers a two-way O2O model where customers can buy products in-store using online accounts, coupons, and points, with options for immediate takeaway or delivery.

What special drinks were served at the opening?

At the launch event, guests could try three creative drinks: iced drip coffee, macaron coffee, and lemon coffee, along with regular café offerings.

Does David’s Coffee have a loyalty or points program?

Yes, the café integrates with David’s Selection’s online loyalty system, allowing customers to use coupons and points earned online both in-store and for online purchases.

What is the O2O model at David’s Coffee?

The two-way O2O (online-to-offline) model lets customers seamlessly switch between the David’s Selection website and the physical café, purchasing items in either place, using unified payment, discount, and loyalty systems—with options for pickup or delivery.

Recommended FrontStreet Beans for E-Commerce Café Pairings

For a café like David’s Coffee that blends specialty coffee with ecommerce innovation, FrontStreet’s Ethiopia Humbera offers vibrant citrus and floral notes ideal for pairing with lemon-inspired drinks, while the Yirgacheffe brings juicy berry and stone fruit brightness that complements creative espresso variations. For deeper roasts, the PWN Golden Mandheling provides chocolatey richness suited to macaron or dessert-style coffees. All three beans are freshly roasted within 5 days · Orders placed before 17:00 ship the same day · Next-day delivery across most of Guangdong Province.