All's well at Groundswell
New ownership at local coffee spot returns focus to community.
Maxwell Nesterak
Issue date: 1/26/10 Section: Local
|
Set in the middle of a residential grid at the corner of Hamline and Thomas avenues, Groundswell Coffee Shop would be easy to miss were it not for its neon "open" sign and construction paper cut out letters reading "Coffee Shop."
And while many Midway neighbors have known its location for a long time, not all have been consistent customers. After an unsuccessful run under a different owner last year, the community is rediscovering a once-lost neighborhood gem.
Previously Midway Cafe and before that J&S Bean Factory but recently dubbed Groundswell, the shop reopened under Tim Gilbert in December. Some patrons said the shop lost its community feel under the previous owner, a few said they moved on.
"I get coffee everyday, it's just a matter of where I get it," said Midway resident Dan Trudeau. "I would go every day when it was J&S [Bean Factory]. When the ownership and the mood changed, I changed."
Hamline alumna Aryn Arnold '07, a manager in the shop when it was J&S Bean Factory, worked as a barista for the previous owner when he bought the shop.
"[The previous owner] bought it thinking he could make the next Caribou out of this spot which didn't work with the neighborhood, and I left," Arnold said. "He wanted to create a coffee chain. It [felt] cold, like a gas station."
"The old owner's vision for the shop didn't fit with the community's," new manager Jeremy Dohrmann said.
One such idea was his decision to use national suppliers; a decision that frustrated patrons, according to barista Amanda Titus.
"They must have switched the coffee because it tasted different," Trudeau said.
But Trudeau is back with the J&S beans and both have garnered support from local businesses and neighbors looking to regain their neighborhood hang-out hub. Arnold is also back in the shop, this time as a volunteer barista.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Leticia Stabrino
posted 2/03/10 @ 12:36 PM CST
I have been a customer of this coffe shop since it first opened as Factory Bean. I always liked it (and the next door wonderful yarn store), I enjoyed it before having my baby and after because it has a great children's area. (Continued…)
Aaron Kaase
posted 2/14/10 @ 8:21 AM CST
The third paragraph of this article incorrectly identifies J&S Bean Factory as the previous store. The store immediately previous to Groundswell Coffee was called "Midway Cafe". (Continued…)
Post a Comment