Mill St Coffeehouse - Pt 5
Have you been following along since the beginning of this insane undertaking? If not, be sure to go back to part 1 (part 2 starts to reveal even more)and see where it all started, it is genuinely mind boggling. In this post I will not be revisiting all of those things that we removed, uncovered, and renovated, I'll simply stick to the updates since our last post back in September.
To start off, it was unintentional to go this long without an update. We've been busy working our two days or so at the renovation, and the rest of the week we're maintaining production and equipment, and making sure our incredible wholesale customers are stocked up! Time flies when you're having fun, they say. We must be having fun.
Here's a list of some of the things we've done since our September 8th post three months ago.
Completed the siding installation
Built an entirely new stair system
All new high efficiency windows
New subfloor in the second story
New drywall in the second story. (walls and ceiling)
Redesigned and built the layout, removing the apartment concept and creating an open coffeehouse space.
Installed our five zone mini split heating/cooling units.
Rebuilt the storefront completely
New exterior lighting and rear entrance door.
Upgraded plumbing to meet code requirements
Had COVID for two weeks. lol.
Began purchasing and making trips to acquire equipment!
Continued our partnership with Steady Work, which has provided us with some great help, and our KidsPrint coffee raises funds to go directly towards programs just like this through Wayne County Community Schools.
The siding is DONE!
Back when there were warmer days in September(remember those?), we took a weekend, rented a lift, and knocked out whatever siding work we had left to do. At this point in the project we had repaired all sections that needed addressing, and we applied the foam underlayment as we went up. With all of the prep work being done ahead of time, it was efficient and really didn't take too long at all considering the difference it made. If you don't recall what the previous siding looked like, be sure to hop back to part three in the series for a closer look.
Storefront Rebuilt
Alright, this was fun. We decided to go a bit crazy with the front. Not like super fancy crazy, but totally different. It's rustic, a bit of modern flare(still some of those elements to come), robust, and eye-catching.
To start off, we ripped out the old broken wooden windows and installed new high efficiency to match the rest of the renovation upstairs(9 windows altogether). We wrapped them in cedar, and followed the trend on the bottom half, removing all of the old lumber and re-framing and covering with cedar boards. The top portion of the first story is a series of 2x12 pine boards that will be the backing for our signage, which we plan to install before Christmas.
We rebuilt the front overhang, threw up some copper roofing to match the main portion, and installed soffit under lighting to accent everything, .The farmhouse light above the front door is a new addition we installed as well, and we'll be changing the bulb eventually to put off a better matching color. haha.
Christina was primarily responsible for the painting, picking the colors and really bring the vision we had to life. Once the construction of the front was completed, Christina came back in and stained everything and made it look super classy. We are thrilled with the results! Green was a bold choice, but we wanted something different, something to really set off the copper roof, and it had to have a "coffeehouse" vibe.
Prior to the transformation, it was rotting away, very busy, scabbed together, and structurally unsound. We've replaced the bad, beefed it up, and hopefully preserved it for another good long while.
We have stairs!
This was a massive deal for us. Our vision for creating a "two-story coffeehouse" and removing the apartment seemed great at first, then we started doing the work to make it happen. We quickly realized it would have been far easier to gut the apartment(because it 1000% needed it) and rebuild it, than it was to remove it, restructure the upstairs, and build an entirely new access point.
Fast-forward and we're back to pure excitement for what's to come. The stairs are built, everything is structurally wonderful, and the space has been completely transformed.
We had our 2x12x20 stair stringers milled locally in Wolcott, we waited four weeks after delivery to ensure they were dry enough to build with, and we went to work. The finish work is yet to be done, such as trim board and finishing the closet underneath, but we no longer have to climb a ladder and crawl between the floor joists to access the second story! That was zero fun, even after coffee.
In case you didn't catch it in previous updates, the second story will be 100% coffeehouse space. This is a large building, sort of, but when you add a kitchen, walk-in cooler, a couple of bathrooms, etc.... you aren't left with much room! That's useless when our vision for this building is to be a space for our community. Thats's why we've designated two stories for people to come, families to hang out, kids to have a place, and folks to have a meeting.
Oh, and baby changing stations in the bathroom.
Drywall Nearing Completion
Once our four kids stopped by to approve of the stairs and we had easy access up, we got going on drywall and completing the subfloors. We had previously removed most of the drywall due to extensive water damage, as well as the subfloors. What wasn't removed due to damage, was mostly removed when we changed the layout, built new walls, and opened up the floor plan.
It was very neat to peel back the layers to reveal the old 1" tongue and groove flooring, and a good part of us wishes it could have been salvage and left exposed. We did keep it in tact for the sake of integrity, but it was not something that we could repair and refurbish to use for the long term. In the end, we applied new subfloor above it, and we are now ready to install flooring in the very near future.
We have about 90% of the drywall completed. we have a couple of sheets still to hang around our new stairs, but we are essentially wrapped up with the hanging, and mudding is well underway. Within just a couple of weeks we will be spraying the ceilings and painting the walls!
At this point we have acquired much of our kitchen and coffee equipment. All of our flooring is in the building and staged, ready to be put down. Our mini split system is installed, lines are run, and we are just about ready to have the system charged & evacuated so we can get some heat blowing in the building.
"So when are you going to open?"
That's what everyone wants to know. Rightfully so, as we do too! At this point we've come a long way, but there's plenty more to get done before we can really know for sure when we can expect to be open. However, our goal is to be open this winter, ideally around February. We're moving along really well at this point, it just depends on what new snags we might find along the way.
"Are you serving food?"
In addition to the baked goods we've made for years now and a slight expansion of those offerings, yes. We'll have a light breakfast menu. We'll have a menu of curated items that can be ordered for in-house seating or to-go. We can't get too specific yet and eliminate the surprises, but the answer is yes, we'll have a select menu that does not compete with neighboring business.
"Will you have your full coffee menu?"
100%, In fact, this space will finally give us the ability to have our FULL coffee menu, the way we truly want it to be experienced. Again, more to come on that later.
In summary, this project is for Imprint Coffee Roasting, it's for Sodus, it's for people. Our mission at Imprint is "To make today a better day for everyone we interact with. People first. Then coffee. But always stellar coffee." . This coffeehouse will bring that mission forward in a profound way here in Sodus, we truly believe that. We want this to be something our community is proud of.
If you've made it this far in the blog you're an absolute champ and you deserve a special deal on coffee. If you order from our online store only before January 1, 2023, you will get 10% off your entire order if you use promo code MILLCOFFEE when you checkout.
Stay tuned for the next update! Who knows, maybe it'll be an "Opening Soon!" announcement. ;)
We love and thank you all for the support you show our team every day. Here's to great people and stellar coffee!
Trevor
roaster/owner