Nothing’s worse than getting to a coffee shop to work, study or sip a drink and finding that there are no seats available. Luckily for caffeine drinkers, students and remote workers, Light House Coffee on Lee Drive just added more seats and space with a recent expansion.
Owner Amber Elworth says customers have been asking about more space or another location since the coffee spot opened its doors in 2018. The expansion adds about 1,400 extra square feet to Light House, giving it room for 35 to 40 more seats, storage, office space, additional kitchen space and roasting opportunities. The extra square footage came from a neighboring business that was previously using the space for storage.
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“We tried alcohol, we tried having a nighttime menu, and it just didn’t work for us,” Elworth says. “We wanted to grow. … Also, every single day, people open the door and look around and see that there are no seats. They leave, and those are sales that we’re losing.”
Elworth says the planning and buildout began in September and was wrapped up in November. The new space casually opened up right before Thanksgiving on a day when the shop simply needed some extra seating.
“We had kind of like an open house for our investors because we wanted them to see it first,” she says. “That was a Sunday afternoon. We close at 6 p.m., and (the open house) ended at 4 p.m. We just made an announcement like, ‘Hey, guys. The space is open.’ And, I have a video of people swarming and wanting to see it. It filled up. People immediately started camping out and putting their stuff down. And (that) Monday, it was full.”
The new addition still holds the same character as the original space, with a black-and-white color scheme and natural wood accents, though it’s designed to have its own ambiance. Strategically positioned above an emerald velvet couch, a mural reads, “You can always sit with us.” Curvy tables feature wood paneling that runs from the floor to the ceiling for a waterfall effect.
“I wanted it to feel like a Light House but also be its own space,” says Elworth, who designed the space. “I didn’t want it to be identical, and I knew I wanted something eye-catching and different.”In addition to adding more space, Light House also acquired roasters to start creating its own coffee to use in its drinks and sell to customers. Elworth says roasting in-house will also allow Light House to be more profitable and to hire more employees, including refugees who know how to work with coffee. The coffee shop is focusing on perfecting the beans for its espresso first, and then it will move on to fine-tuning beans for the other signature drinks on its menu.
“We want to transition (to our espresso) first because that’s the bulk of what we sell,” she says. “We were just tasting some, and we are really close, if not done, with our espresso. We just need to start roasting it. So we’ll probably gradually transition, and maybe next we’ll do drip, next we’ll do cold brew and next we’ll do pour-overs.”
In the back of the coffee shop, there is also a new kitchen space where employees can whip up food orders for customers. The new kitchen will be used only for baking and prep. Elworth says having this extra kitchen space helps with the demand for pastries and small plates from its menu, which customers love. The area also includes a pass-through window allowing a view of the original shop and communication to the original kitchen.
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“Initially, we were not planning on making our own pastries or making nearly as much food as we do,” Elworth says. “But, we make probably 10 times what we projected especially with food and with pastries.”
Elworth says the expansion will also allow for more events at the coffee shop, like private parties, where the new side can be rented out. There are even talks of coffee classes where guests can learn about latte art and roasting.
Light House Coffee is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m.–8 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m.–9 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m.–6 p.m. The shop is located at 257 Lee Drive.