(KNSI) — A Sauk Rapids woman is following her dream and starting a coffee shop in downtown St. Cloud.
Hailey Koep is opening Oblivion CoffeBar & Mercantile at 27 7th Avenue North. The space used to house a wine bar but has been vacant for the last seven years.
Koep tells KNSI News her love affair with coffee started when she was a teenager after getting her first job at the old Liquid Assets coffee shop in Sartell. “I did it just to work with my best friend and then ended up falling in love with the craft of coffee making.”
Koep told KNSI that Oblivion will be the opposite of what coffee shops are these days. “Every coffee shop you see wants customers to be in and out. The drive-thru has been popular. Come in and sit down. My tagline is, slip into oblivion, take time out of your day for yourself.”
She discussed how she came up with the name. “I live by the seat of my pants, and I am oblivious to life. Literally, that is what I do. I am very oblivious to life and I roll with the punches. And I think everybody really should be that way.”
She hopes the place becomes a hangout and a space where people can come in and work for as long as they want on their projects and schoolwork. The city has also installed a five minute parking sign outside the business for people who still want to grab their joe and go.
The coffee bar will sell all the classic roasts, special drinks and some food options. The mercantile will offer unique boutique and antique items.
Koep says she plans a soft opening by invite only later this week and hopes to open to the public in the next two weeks.
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