Insomkneeacks is up all night—again

If you prefer your coffee with a fancy French name, or drinking it amongst the Web-surfing exec types on break from the office, then Insomkneeacks probably isn’t your cup of tea.

But if you yearn to escape suburban doldrums, if you crave a bohemian atmosphere where you won’t attract glances creating your own Jackson Pollack-inspired movement painting, then Insomkneeacks is ready to serve—assuming owner Peter Excho’s awake, of course.

His funky Florida Boulevard establishment, part coffee shop, part artists’ haven, isn’t open until Excho’s eyes are.

The boldly pierced owner first opened Insomkneeaks in the mid-1990s as a combination tattoo parlor and art gallery, and with the help of his sister. “I don’t do paperwork, man,” he says. “I’m an artist.”

Insomkneeacks then evolved into a 24-hour coffee house and artist sanctuary. The shop moved a few times, and its prospects looked grim. Even a 24-hour marathon fundraiser with every band he and his friends could think of wasn’t enough so he had to shut it down.

That was 10 years ago. Today Excho and Insomkneeacks are back, brewing coffee, playing music and creating art.

To mark the return—and to build up operating cash—Excho booked no fewer

What: A funky little coffee shop-cum-artists’ refuge

Hours: When the owner’s awake

Where: 9810 Florida Blvd.

Why: Because there’s nothing like it

than 40 local bands for a fundraising marathon. Besides the live music, the crowd smashed donated cars for no apparent reason.

It’s in a new location near the old Broadmoor Theater, but its original offbeat, artsy sensibilities remain intact. “I wanted a place where people feel safe, where they can create,” Excho says.