Thom’s coming downtown

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This article was published 11/01/2016 (3736 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

What began in West Broadway will soon have a new, second home downtown.

Thom Bargen Coffee and Tea is expected to open at 250 Kennedy St. in March on the corner of Graham Avenue and Kennedy Street.

Opening a second location is something owners Graham Bargen and Thom Jon (TJ) Hiebert have always planned for, so when the downtown location became available they knew it was time.

“Our vision for the neighbourhood is really for Graham Avenue to transform and we want to be a catalyst for that change,” Bargen said, adding that to start the location will be open daytime hours, which is when the area is busiest.

While 64 Sherbrook St. has become known for its minimalist and — as Bargen puts it — communal atmosphere, the new spot isn’t going to follow the same blueprints.

“We’re hoping to really curate and design a beautiful space,” he said. “It’s going to be totally different because we believe a shop should fit its neighbourhood… this one will be a little more fast moving, the bar is a lot bigger for that reason too.”

The shop will feature a live wall of flowers and foliage, which the pair hopes will create a bit of an oasis in an area that is characterized by concrete and high-rises. Leather upholstery and marble countertops will be new for the brand, but with windows for walls the space will be as bright as Bargen customers are used to.

The new location is also big enough to house a kitchen.

Coffee transcends trend and style and age and people love quality things

“We’re really excited about that. It’s a big learning curve for us and the opportunity is huge,” Bargen said. “It can be really difficult to provide quality baking that matches the quality of our coffee so that’s always been a big bottleneck.”

Actually, the space is so large that Bargen and Hiebert decided to rent about a third of it to Kali Siemens, who will be running a Modern Supply Co. store. The two businesses will share a door and patrons of both can have a coffee and do some shopping at the same time.

“Where else is there to do that?” Bargen said. “The stuff they’ll have here will be unique to the city… it’s going to be really beautiful, we’re excited about what she’s doing.”

Bargen and Hiebert said they’re looking forward to being in a new environment where they’ll get the chance to serve a huge variety of customers.

“The University of Winnipeg is two blocks away and the Hydro building is two blocks away,” Bargen said. “Coffee transcends trend and style and age and people love quality things. People are paying more attention to what they’re drinking… we have just as many retired couples coming in as young students or young professionals.”

 

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