Vantage Point Coffee is a big step toward brewing up business in the historic and restored Union Terminal Warehouse near Downtown.
The city issued a permit July 21 for Skyline Construction Inc. to build-out 915 square feet of space for the shop at a cost of $250,000 at 700 E. Union St., Suite 151.
The warehouse is near Jacksonville’s Eastside neighborhood and EverBank Stadium.
After more than six years and $73 million, the Union Terminal Warehouse opened in March. The property, redeveloped by by Atlanta-based Columbia Ventures, is being leased for apartments, offices and retail units.
Vantage Point Coffee owner Leo Baker told the Daily Record in September 2024 that the shop would seat about 15 inside and offer some patio seating. It will have four to five employees.
Baker opened his first Vantage Point Coffee in December 2023 at 1301 Monument Road, No. 21, in Arlington.
Before that he roasted coffee beans at a small facility Downtown. He sold the beans online.
Once a week he roasts coffee for his shop and for customers to buy for home use. He procures beans from singular farms in Colombia, Ethiopia and Brazil. The beans remain segregated to ensure the beverage is pure to the country of origin.
Baker saw a roasting demonstration while on vacation and he was hooked. Through trial and error, he perfected the techniques needed to produce a mellow, smooth-tasting coffee.
The Vantage Point Coffee project has been in the works for years. Ryan Akin, development manager and partner at Columbia Ventures, said Baker reached out about becoming the building’s coffee shop when the remodeling project was announced in 2019.
“I think it’s centrally located in a very fast-paced, fast-growing area of town, which is Downtown. There are a lot of projects coming to Downtown,” Baker said.