Abhigya Ghimire Ground Floor Coffee held its grand opening on the square in downtown Troy on Saturday, March 23. There was a ribbon cutting ceremony the previous Thursday. “We pride ourselves on being a ‘have it your way’ type of coffee shop, which includes you choosing which roast you want your coffee made out of,” said Nathaniel Cox, the co-owner of Ground Floor Coffee. They offer about 15 different roasts, and some of them were introduced as samples during the event. Inspired by a traditional wine tasting, the coffee tasting was a gift to the co-owners from their sister. Along with the coffee tasting, there was wine and snacks like cheese, crackers and cookies for the people attending the grand opening. Cox said the ceremonies went off without a hitch. “We really didn’t have much of an expectation,” Cox said. “We just had a plan laid out ahead and wanted to see where it went from there, and it was crazy.” About 60 people attended the ribbon cutting ceremony, filling out the coffee shop entirely. Similarly, the grand opening was also full of people, but the influx was spread throughout the day. “It was a little overwhelming, to be honest,” said Angela Farmer, the co-owner of Ground Floor Coffee. “The generosity of our neighbors overwhelmed us.” Farmer always wanted to do something with coffee, and it was her interest that gave birth to the idea for the shop. “It started at our other business, Smoke and Ash, about a year and a half ago,” Cox said.“We started doing it in a little corner of the shop, and it got to where we realized it was popular.” Once they realized that people were enjoying it and coming back for it, they decided to open a separate shop just for coffee. Though the store’s soft opening was held on Feb. 15, many people were unaware of the shop’s existence until the recent ribbon-cutting ceremony and grand opening. “We had signs out saying we were open and tried advertising it saying even though it was a soft opening, we are still around,” Farmer said. Despite its slow start, the coffee shop is gaining popularity. “We’ve had regulars now who have been coming in since the beginning stages of soft opening,” Cox said. The shop offers a loyalty card for its returning customers. Bo Gaston, a senior hospitality management major from Camden, has been a regular customer. Gaston mentioned that the coffee shop has a very relaxed atmosphere. “It’s coffee for anyone,” Gaston said. “We’re not striving to target for anyone specific. “They want to be there for anyone who wants to come in, hang out and get a cup of coffee.” The coffee shop is in the process of changing the back rooms into study rooms. “I’m excited for the back rooms to be done,” Gaston said. “It’s going to be a lot more relaxing and soothing. “I think that because of the grand opening, more college students will be visiting the shop now that they know that they are open.”
Staff Writer
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