Katie and I are so happy to finally be able to share our news with everyone about the future of Press Coffee and the response we’ve gotten so far has been wonderful. We understand it is bittersweet for some of our friendly neighbors and know that our new location may not be part of your routine, but we hope to still see your faces from time to time.

This year has been interesting, to say the least, and has flown by at lightning speed. Since the pandemic hit, every day I came to work bracing myself for the possibility that we would have to shut our doors. We adapted to a socially distant way of service, made much easier by our partnership with the Jump Coffee app (thank you, Hannah Rager!!), and as Katie and I took on running the shop by ourselves for a while, we were heartened to see so many people continue to support us. Despite being bogged down by uncertainty and saturated by hopelessness, there was no doubt in my mind about taking on this project with Katie when she proposed the plan to me. Where she leads, I will follow.

With so many wonderful people working with us to realize our vision and all the encouragement and support of our former owners, we hope to build a space that brings comfort and inspiration to our guests. So if it hasn’t been your day, your week, your month, or even your year, we’ll be there for you come Spring to warm your soul with a cup of coffee brewed in a shop that is all our own.

Katie claims that I’m the one who is good with words, but her own words on this transition say it all, so here is where I’ll pass the mic.
– Lisa

Seven and a half years ago, the north Coralville community welcomed Press Coffee Company into the neighborhood. The journey until now has seen its ups and downs while getting accustomed to the flow of this growing area. Hours have changed, neighboring businesses have moved in or out, roads have opened up, stop lights have been added; it seems almost unrecognizable from the Spring of 2013. Tucked away from the street, Press is easily missed as you travel on Oakdale and North on First Avenue, but so many of you have found us and have made the shop a destination over the years. Some of you are our neighbors who live up on Auburn East or Rustic Ridge. Others of you travel from the opposite side of Iowa City to enjoy our chai or fresh-pressed brewed coffee. The Yelp and Google community have also found us and travel North of Interstate 80 on their cross country trips to get a much needed pick me up or break from driving. Where ever you are coming from, we have enjoyed serving you and greatly appreciate your friendship and patronage over the years.

When given the news by the former owners that it was time to close our doors, I had a rough 24 hours. I wasn’t ready for this journey to be over. I’m still too passionate about Press, our relationships, and our product to see seven and a half years end with nothing to show for it. So, I made some phone calls, sent some text messages, had some conversations, and figured out our next step. Lisa and I then had the talk about taking ownership of Press and if she was “in”.

She was.

At that point, on August 10th, 2020, we made the announcement that we were the new owners of Press Coffee Company. The Derecho storm that hit that afternoon quickly stole our thunder. Many of you thought that we were already the owners but nope, we were just the managers of the daily operations of the business. We had great, supportive owners who love wine, food, and delicious coffee, and I’m now happy to call them my friends instead of my bosses. I know that everything we have accomplished over the years would not have been possible without their support and guidance. I also know that any future success we have is because of their original vision and the trust they had in Ben Pierce and myself.

We are ready to carry on with their original vision of bringing French pressed coffee to a pour-over town but in a different location. On November 20th, Press Coffee Company will be shutting its doors at 2201 East Grantview Drive to prepare for our move to 1120 North Dodge Street in Iowa City. We have an extensive build-out in front of us and a mountain of logistics to tackle, but we are ready.

Our new location will still serve the same great coffee that we have poured for the past seven years, but this will mean we can grow our food offerings to better serve our guests. We will be able to prepare our own food and pastries while still serving Donutland Donuts. (We can’t get rid of the donuts.) Due to the limited square footage of our current location, all of these possibilities were never able to happen. Along with more food options, we will be able to serve you in a better, more efficient manner with the addition of a drive-up window.

I’m sure you all have a lot of questions about our future– we do too!!! It is a very fluid situation with a projected reopening date in the spring of 2021. Again, this wouldn’t have been possible without your continued support over the years. We know that not everyone will venture to that side of town with the regularity that we currently see you, but we hope you will visit. Please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and sign up for our newsletter so you can see our progress and updates regarding the move.  – Katie