Brooklyn residents have a new spot to get their caffeine fix, surf the web, order ice cream or simply gather with friends.
On March 1, Brooklyn business owner Cheryl Parrish opened Caribbean Coffee and Cream at 109 Hotel Street in the village's downtown. A grand opening is set for this weekend.
The 2,000-square foot shop fills a niche locals have been asking for, said village president Nadine Walsten.
"The one request for a new business that I have consistently heard from residents is, 'We need a coffee shop,'" she said.
So far, locals seem pleased, Parrish said, and she still hopes to reel in some of the thousands of commuters who pass through Brooklyn each morning on their way to work.
"Everybody has been just great," she said.
The shop aims to serve high-quality food and beverages, as the ice cream comes from the Chocolate Shoppe in Madison and the coffee brand is Viamo, a creation of Victor Allen founder, Victor Allen Mondry, Parrish said.
The shop also serves Panini-style sandwiches, salads and many scones, muffins and other pastries baked by shop manager, Kristi Schmidt, a 2008 Oregon High School graduate and Parrish's daughter.
The Caribbean-themed décor - which includes colorful umbrellas, murals of tropical scenes and a kid's play area stocked with pirate toys - is meant to create a "fun and casual" atmosphere, Parrish said.
The atmosphere gets a boost from huge, single-pane windows that line two walls - one of many, major changes Parrish has made to the larger 12,000 square-foot building she purchased three years ago.
The 64-year-old building housed a farm-implement dealer for many years and more recently contained a pizza shop, an aquarium supply store, a shop for outfitting high-performance automobiles and a daycare.
Parrish said the building was in "horrendous" shape when she bought it, and she's since gutted most of it and added new wiring, plumbing, roofing and more at a cost of about $400,000.
Besides the coffee shop, the building holds a cabinet shop and On the Move Permits, a business Parrish has led since 1993. That business issues permits for oversized trucks and trailers and employs 12 people.
A 5,000-square-foot spot in the back of the building is still for lease, Parrish said.
The coffee shop on the corner of Hotel Street and North Rutland Ave. will be open long hours -- from 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends. Parrish hopes to extend store hours to 9 p.m.
Other future plans include adding outdoor seating in the next month and possibly adding to the staff of eight, if business grows, she said.
For special events, the shop offers "Kids Crafts Night" Wednesdays from 5 to 7 p.m., and at 6 p.m. next Thursday, Mondry will offer a free coffee-tasting course.
On a recent Sunday afternoon, the shop filled with people who were out walking their dog or bicycling - a scene Parrish hopes will become the norm.
"Everyone's excited" about the new shop, she said.
