MACON, Ga. — Just a month after one Ingleside coffee shop closed its doors, another announced it will be moving in.
Oh Honey Baking Co. closed down at the end of June. Now, the owner of JBA intends to open Village Coffee in the same location. Brandon Lawler said keeping coffee in Ingleside was important to him.
"Ingleside is our backyard,” he said. “That's our neighborhood. We've talked about doing coffee for a long time, but Oh Honey kind of showed that it's a necessity. That neighborhood needs coffee."
In keeping with the community focus, Lawler said they’ve got six employees on staff right now – all retained from the Oh Honey location. He said he wants Village Coffee to have a cozy, homey feel.
"A place to come grab a coffee or sit and chill for two hours," he said.
Lawler said he wants to open the shop in early September. That’s a quick turnaround, but he said they’ve already got a menu in mind.
Beyond just coffee, Lawler said they want to serve both breakfast and lunch, while also keeping an eye out for light dessert possibilities, such as pastries.
"To start, at least, it's going to be a simpler menu - but we intend to expand on that," Lawler said.
Lawler also said that they eventually want to add alcohol to the list of available items - but only as an addition to their coffee offerings.
“Anything that can be paired with coffee,” he said. “Not to turn the place into a bar, but to complement the coffee experience."