Cedar Rapids’ first downtown coffee shop is poised for a sizable expansion as the Armstrong Centre continues to remodel.

The Coffee Emporium, located in the ground floor of the Armstrong Center at 220 Third Avenue SE, will double its space in the next month as the adjacent food court is renovated and the coffee shop’s east wall comes down.

Owner Robin Morris said the renovation will push the size of her shop from 600 square feet to close to 1,200 square feet and will allow her operation to add a larger kitchen and its own bathroom. It will also update the shop’s environment with more glass and natural light, and allow it to expand its seating options, which can be limited during busier hours.

“They came to me and said ‘How would you like to expand,’… and after speaking with some people that help me with business decisions, they said it would be a no brainer,” Ms. Morris said. “I just need a bigger space here – when we get busy, sometimes it’s like someone’s sitting in your lap. It’s going to be really nice to have a little extra space.”

Garling Construction will be performing the build-out of the new space. Ms. Morris expects the project to be complete by May 15.

Gringo’s, a restaurant formerly located on First Avenue, will also be relocating into the renovated food court with a new fast-casual concept, along with another as-of-yet unnamed establishment.

For menu and hours please visit The Coffee Emporium website at http://www.thecoffeeemporiumcr.com/ or on FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/coffee.emporium.cr

This article is courtesy of the Corridor Business Journal. For more articles like this one please visit http://www.corridorbusiness.com/