Acey Slade took his first sips of coffee when he was growing up in Downingtown, Pa., sneaking into his parents’ office after they had finished working and left behind cold cups of brew.
“They drank coffee all day long,” Slade says. “I'd go into their office and find cold coffee with milk and sugar sitting on the desk. I'd drink it, and they'd yell at me because I wasn't supposed to have coffee. “At the time, it was probably the sugar I liked more than the coffee.”
Decades later, it’s definitely the coffee Slade enjoys more.
Today, Slade and his wife, Mei-Ling, own Catfight Coffee on Main Street in Boonton, where it’s always spooky season. With October here, the shop is leaning even further into that identity, with seasonal drinks, movie nights, and other events celebrating the owners’ favorite season.
Slade is reluctant to call the Halloween decor a “theme.” “I never want it to feel like a novelty,” he says, “but yes, we love horror movies.”
A touring musician who has fronted his own bands, Slade spent about six years playing guitar for the legendary rock band Joan Jett & the Blackhearts. Now, Slade’s Catfight menu includes a drink called the Blackheart Latte. It uses activated charcoal made from coconut shells, which gives it a subtle coconut flavor. Its primary color is, of course, black.
While touring, Slade spent much of his time looking for coffee shops in different towns and cities around the country because, as he explained, “coffee shops usually sat near record stores, bookstores, and creative communities.”
When the pandemic started in 2020, Slade was forced back home and had to find new work. With Mei-Ling - a makeup artist who also lost her livelihood during the pandemic - the couple started an online coffee company out of their home in Newark, using the knowledge of coffee he had picked up on the road.
Acey and Mei-Ling started selling coffee at farmer’s markets and other outdoor events, and eventually wanted a brick-and-mortar shop. Traveling between Newark and events in Sussex County, they often stopped in Boonton, where several businesses they got to know through pop-up events - including Boneyard Boutique - already carried Catfight Coffee.
Now at 616 Main Street, Catfight Coffee has become a Boonton staple since opening in the fall of 2024, and is easily identifiable by its eclectic indoor and outdoor decor. Simply put - it’s Halloween all year round. “Everything here has meaning,” Mei-Ling says. “Every detail matters.”
One of the drinks the shop’s owners are most excited about is the Apple Butter Bomb, which combines espresso and apple and features Catfight’s homemade oat milk (in fact, they make all their almond and oat milk on site). Acey says it tastes like an apple oatmeal cookie. “It's surprisingly difficult to combine espresso, apple, and cream because both coffee and apples are acidic,” Acey says. “We had to experiment quite a bit before we found the right balance.”
Other special October menu items include the Jack-O-Latte (their version of a pumpkin spice latte using real squash), the Cereal Killer Cold Brew (which includes bits of Count Chocula cereal), and a smoked campfire latte.
Throughout the entire fall season, Catfight is offering something called Black Pumpkin Coffee, which Slade describes as “an English walnut and pumpkin-infused coffee” that the shop will sell in whole beans and as a cold brew.
Catfight Coffee will also host various movie nights (there’s a pull-down screen on the back wall), live music, karaoke, and various art and book events throughout the month of October.
Past movie nights at Catfight have featured such films as The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Little Shop of Horrors. They’ve also brought in a horror illustrator to teach people how to draw monsters and horror characters.
“It’s exactly the kind of creative community we’ve always imagined,” Acey says. “Seeing people enjoy the space is incredibly rewarding,” adds Mei-Ling.
Behind the horror-inspired decor and seasonal events, Acey and Mei-Ling say the coffee remains the heart of the business. “We put just as much care into sourcing beans, making our almond milk, and working directly with farmers,” Acey says, “as we do into the design of the shop.”
https://www.catfightcoffee.com/
“It’s exactly the kind of creative community we’ve always imagined,” Acey says. “Seeing people enjoy the space is incredibly rewarding,” adds Mei-Ling.
Catfight is easily identifiable by its eclectic decor. Simply put - it’s Halloween all year round. “Everything here has meaning,” Mei-Ling says. “Every detail matters.”