Nearly a full year after renovations on the former Brownwood Central Fire Station began, the transformation into the new home for Common Grounds Coffee House and Deli is nearing completion.
Owners Marco and Yesy Sandoval are now targeting an opening date during the second week of June for the location at the intersections of Austin Avenue and Main Street.
“We’re really close, it’s just a matter of putting the finishes touches on,” Marco Sandoval said. “We’ll have plenty of parking but we’re still going to focus a little on the landscaping.”
“We’re feeling excited about opening up here because we need the space, we desperately need the space,” Yesy Sandoval said. “We’re also nervous because it’s always like starting over again, even though we know what we’re doing now. We’re going to add additional items to our menu so we’re excited about that. We’re in a great location, caddy corner to Howard Payne, so we know we’re going to have a lot of new people.”
A few tweaks remain, but most of the work on the facility is finally complete after lengthy delays.
“It’s been a roller coaster,” Yesy Sandoval said.
Marco Sandoval added, “It’s been a struggle for the whole nation trying to get supplies from plumbing to electrical to panels.”
Features at the new location include a coffee bar, full-service kitchen, new restrooms, rolled ice cream, traditional ice cream, frozen yogurt, a stage for musical performances, and a conference room for meetings or catering.
The Sandovals also hope to add a firetruck to the inside of the location, and a coffee roasting room is in the works as well.
At the current location, Common Grounds is open from 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. but hours of operation will be expanded at the new site.
“We’re still working on the times, but we will be open in the evenings,” Yesy Sandoval said.
Marco Sandoval added, “At first, probably Thursday, Friday and Saturday in the evening until we can get things worked out and get more employees. We still have to tweak how many people we’re going to need.”
The Sandovals stated that the current location, at 2208 Austin Avenue, will likely move to drive-through only after Memorial Day as equipment is transferred from the inside of the original building to the new.
“We’re thankful not only to the community, but our church family, our friends that have pinched in help, even those that have pitched in the clean and dust and move things,” Marco Sandoval said. “We’re thankful for everyone, the community, the City of Brownwood, for supporting us.”
BrownwoodNews.com’s first story on Common Grounds’ new location can be found here.
