TIMES UNION REPORTS – A kickoff event was held Thursday at the intersection of Rochester and Mishawaka streets, Akron, to bring the Akron depot to that intersection and make it The Grounded Coffee House at The Depot.
Area residents Lori Tilden-Geiger and DeLynn Geiger signed the paperwork on Aug. 19 to buy the lot at Rochester and Mishawaka streets, along with the depot.
Lori said her family is planning on transporting the depot downtown, build a basement under it and “transform it into a coffee house.”
Lori expects The Grounded Coffee House at The Depot to be open in 2023. They’re going to put in the basement later this fall. They plan to move the depot later this fall, but if they can’t, they’ll move it in the spring.
When asked what made them decide to do the project, Lori said, “You know, a couple reasons. To preserve a historic building. We grew up going down to that depot and looking at it. My dad is 89 and he remembers going in that depot. He remembers the station master.”
Lori said the depot was built in 1883 for the Erie Railroad. Then it became the Erie Lackawanna Railway after a 1960 merger. The train went out of Akron in 1976, so the depot has not been used since 1976.
She said “grounded” has a lot of meanings. First, grounded is a coffee term, but to her, it means rooted and well-balanced, rooted, down to earth and having one’s feet on the ground.
Lori also said they think being grounded is a heart posture that no matter what happens, you are firmly rooted and can withstand any storms that come your way.
“We wanted to create a space for people where they can come, pause, and take a deep breath from life and to refresh and feel better when they walk away. The old Erie-Lackawanna Dining Cars had the motto, ‘The Friendly Service Place.’ We would love to continue that for people to have that informal gathering place with friendly service and great coffee,” she said.
“I think we want a place like an informal gathering place where people can meet their friends for coffee or just hang out.”
Lori said that, besides coffee, they plan to possibly have breakfast sandwiches and pastries and maybe soups and sandwiches.
“I love it. It’s a business that will compliment what’s already here. But this is going to fill in a gap. They were missing a coffee shop,” she said.
