Jacksonville java business Bold Bean Coffee Roasters is the latest addition to the businesses along the Stockton Street Town Center, where an artisan corridor is developing.
The father-and-son team of Jay and Zack Burnett founded Bold Bean Company in 2007 and renamed it Bold Bean Coffee Roasters in 2008.
The certified organic roaster has been operating in a 1,400-square-foot space on Corporate Square Boulevard off Southside Boulevard and has focused mainly on wholesale accounts.
While the company does sell retail through its website, it didn’t have a physical storefront.
Until now.
The company has decided to move its operations to a 2,000-square-foot space on Stockton Street between Myra and College streets. Build-out is ongoing and the Burnetts plan to open by the end of October.
“We are excited about the neighborhood and the exposure the location will provide,” said Jay Burnett. “We are getting really positive feedback from the neighborhood.”
While he wouldn’t divulge the cost to prepare the space in the building built in 1923, the question did give him pause.
“It cost a lot,” he sighed.
The company employs Jay, Zack and has added store manager Chris Emery.
Bold Bean is advertising positions for baristas and plans to expand staff to three full-time and five part-time employees.
Bold Bean’s neighbors look forward to the business.
“We are selling their coffee and look forward to talking to them about carrying our baked goods,” said Nathalie Mockler, owner of Moderne Bakery, which is a couple of doors from Bold Bean.
Another business owner on the block has been pleasantly surprised with the development of craft businesses in the area.
“I didn’t expect it to happen here, the way the business has developed,” said Howard Kirk, owner of the 13 Gypsies restaurant.
“We’ve been lucky enough to have a steady flow of customers since we opened our doors,” he said.
Zen Cog is a bicycle shop next door to 13 Gypsies and it has recently opened a second location at the Beaches.
“We were doing good before the recession and saving a third of the income each month,” said Garfield Cooper, owner of Zen Cog.
“We do a good business with the service industry. They are people who view their bikes as their cars. It’s their form of transportation,” he said.
Though the businesses may have seen transportation slow on Stockton because of road construction, the Town Center improvements are meant to rejuvenate older areas of the City.
According to the City, the Town Center Program is intended to revitalize older neighborhoods by providing planning, design and infrastructure improvements to public spaces along key business areas and corridors.
Its goal is “to enhance both the visual appeal and physical infrastructure in older neighborhoods’ commercial areas and corridors; feature community visioning and planning; encourage public-private partnerships; leverage public dollars by coordination with the Better Jacksonville Plan improvements in the areas; and encourage renewal of old commercial areas that in turn will aid and serve the residential users.”
The craft corridor also includes Bold City Brewery, Just Brew It and Intuition Ale Works, which are near the Stockton Street Town Center project.
Bold City and Intuition both brew their own lines of beer and Just Brew It sells equipment to brew beer and make wine at home.
“It’s really great to see this neighborhood grow and develop these homegrown businesses,” said Cari Sanchez-Potter, business manager for Intuition Ale Works, which plans its first Oktoberfest Saturday.
“It gets people excited when there are new places to go or to eat close by.”
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