As we make our way through the construction process, Lisa and I have had to make a lot of decisions, many of which are things we never had to care about until now. So many small details that make up a new building such as door handles, countertops, trim, paint colors, and mailboxes. In the end, everything comes down to you, our guests. 

There are aspects of the new Press Coffee that we always wanted to incorporate at our prior location, and while we didn’t have the authority to make it happen then, we were listening.  We squirreled away your feedback every time you said, ‘I wish you had this,’ or ‘it would be nice to sit lower,’ or ‘did you ever think of doing that?’ Hopefully, you will see some of those suggestions come to fruition at our Iowa City location.  

One of the biggest additions that I always wanted at the previous Press was a changing table in the bathroom.  Thinking back through the seven and a half years we were open in Coralville, we watched many of our guests go from expecting, to having babies, to then watching those kids grow up at the shop. I always wanted them to feel welcome in our space, and now they will find more family-friendly amenities. I can’t wait for another generation of children to grow up with memories of going to the local coffee shop with their parents.  

We obtained our industrial changing table, for our all-gender restroom, thanks to Facebook Marketplace.  I’m all for getting a deal on something, especially if it means there is a potential road trip involved.  Chatting with my parents about the one we found, and wanting to help us in any way they could, they offered to make the trip to Bloomington, Illinois to acquire the table for us.  This way, Lisa and I could continue to work on things around town and not spend a whole day driving there and back.  My parents had a good time along the way, even embarking on a second trip that same week to pick up another Marketplace purchase.  Thanks, guys!!!

As you’ve seen from some of our Instagram posts, Lisa and I love to thrift and find one-of-a-kind pieces for the shop that really show off our personalities.  Some of the places that we love to look at are A to Z Thrift Store, Artifacts, The Shop Kalona, Stuff Etc, Houseworks, Drop Inn, Goodwill, Salvation Army, Crowded Closet, and Habitat for Humanity.  We have even purchased some bargain items from other businesses such as Capanna, C and C Discount, Wilson’s Restaurant Supply, and Midwest Restaurant Supply.  One of the main, more practical reasons I love going with an eclectic look is that we are not held to a specific pattern or style in the future if something needs to be replaced.  

You may remember our old furniture and how after seven years it was looking a bit ragged and began to flake away.  Since we have done such a good job of thrifting, the only items that needed reupholstering were the tall back chairs.  Thankfully, Midwest Custom Upholstery in Williamsburg was up to the challenge of refinishing the chairs.  To be fair, a majority of them were refinished with a similar fabric on the seat, but we did go a bit crazy with a pattern on the back.  Getting those pieces redone helped save on our budget, so we could put funds towards new items that we won’t be able to find second hand.  

There are a number of things that we can’t penny-pinch with, however.  Quality of doors, windows, fireplace, and flooring is very important so that we can either get them serviced or replaced in the future after some wear and tear.  For our flooring, we went to Sobaski Abbey Carpet & Floor.  Their showroom was overwhelming, to say the least, but Chad worked with us to narrow the options down until we found a reclaimed wood LVT product that we liked.  Alissa from Brandt Heating & Air took us to the most magical room in their building which was lined with multiple fireplaces. (Fireplace shopping in the winter was an excellent decision.)  We hope that our choice makes you feel just as warm and cozy when you come to visit us. 

For doors and trim, we were sent to Davisson & Son Millwork.  This too was an eye-opening experience for us, we had no clue how many variables went into picking doors for a building.  Trim, weight, color, lock, keyless lock; I felt like we were in over our head.  Pete was very patient with us and talked us through the options and why different things were important.  Cabinets and countertops were a no-brainer, we contacted Monica with 929 Designs.  Working with her was a breeze since she was an avid guest at our previous location and already in tune with our style and what we needed.  Another regular that we have had the pleasure of working with is Molly Miller from Hills Bank.  She has been an important part of helping us obtain our SBA loan, which has made almost everything possible so far.  Not only has Molly been a guest at Press, but I used to serve her on the regular when I worked at Mormon Trek Java House back in the day.    

While some people have contributed in ways that are more apparent, others have helped behind the scenes.  Most of you probably know Nicki Maurus and that she would do anything for anyone.  She is one of the most giving people we have ever met and graciously borrowed to us multiple plastic storage bins to pack our inventory for the move.  Though it seems insignificant, the gesture was huge.  Our friends have also gone above and beyond by helping us secure storage for everything that we had to remove from our Coralville location.  Lisa’s roommates put up with us continually dropping off furniture to put into their garage and basement, making certain areas less accessible during this transition.  Our pals at Friendship Rentals have also offered up some extra garage space to store some equipment and furniture.  

We’ve already mentioned that Ryan Wade of CW Development has been our contractor and he has enjoyed pulling in tradespeople we already know. On the first day of framing, I walked in to see Todd Salter working on the interior, the Salters being one of the families we’ve watched grow over the years.  The “rough-in” is almost complete and drywall and flooring are next.  (We’ve also learned new construction terms like “warm, vanilla box”.) It’s inspiring to see how invested our guests are in the future of our business. 

March 10th marked the day that concrete work started for the parking lot and drive-up lane at 1120 North Dodge.  Each time I drive by, visit, or meet the electricians, at least one item is different than the last time I was there, each as exciting as the last.  We couldn’t be more proud of the progress so far and we can’t wait to open our doors in Iowa City– soon!  We encourage you to drive by and see the rendering posted out front of what’s to come and let us know what you think!

Below are a few progress pics as well as a few of the people and
pets who have supported us along the way.