ASHLAND — Pete Cooper, the co-owner of Goldberry Roasting Company, knew for a while that the coffee shop needed a bigger space.
The shop, which opened in 2019, kept getting busier and busier. Cooper said people would have to leave due to a lack of seating.
Plus, production was rising, and the shop needed a second coffee roaster to keep up.
But its old location on Claremont Ave. didn’t leave room to fix either challenge. So, Goldberry’s owners started looking for a new space.
After a year and a half of searching and preparing to move, it settled into a spacious location on Franklin Ave., right next to the Tin Can Chandelier.
That new location opened for business on Monday, after two weeks of transition.
Moving in
Cooper, who’s been with Goldberry since 2018, said the lease for its new space was signed in the early summer, around last June.
The shop remained partially open at its previous location the first week of January, and closed for the second as it made the move. An IT company, FiveForge, will move into Goldberry’s old space on Claremont Ave., Cooper said.
One of Cooper’s biggest takeaways from the process is the importance of having good co-workers, he said. While a moving process like that can be stressful, he said he was grateful for employees collaborating and overcoming the challenges that cropped up.
Goldberry worked with an interior designer throughout the process to bring their vision to life.
“It’s just a better representation of who we are as a company,” Cooper said.
The new location offers more seating space, with window options, tables, counters and couches. It also boasts a large back room for storage, and enough space for both of Goldberry’s coffee roasters.
The shop has a more spacious counter for baristas to use, and a small rentable room for people to use for meetings. The entire store can be rented out after-hours for events, too.
Goldberry also added a drive-through at the new location. Customers can either order online ahead of time and pick up their drink at the window, or order at the window.
The new space shares an outdoor area with its next door neighbor, the Tin Can Chandelier. Cooper said he’s looking forward to collaborating on outdoor events and block parties during the summer months.
Customer appreciation
Melody Garber, a wedding photographer and social worker, said she used to go into Goldberry’s old shop a lot. Thursday was her first time checking out the new space with a friend, stay-at-home mom Charity Wilson.
Garber said she travels often and loves coffee shops. On her adventures to bigger cities, like Nashville and Atlanta, she said coffee shops with enough space for entrepreneurs and college students to work at impressed her.
Garber said Ashland and Mansfield didn’t really have similar offerings, even though she likes many of the local options. But Goldberry’s new location brings that to Ashland, in her opinion.
“It’s something I wanted and desired for Ashland, and it’s cool now seeing that in Ashland,” Garber said.
Wilson added she hadn’t spent much time at Goldberry’s old location, but enjoyed the “cozy and welcoming” environment its new one offered.
As a stay-at-home mom, she said it’s important to have spaces where she can bring her children outside of the house. For her, Goldberry now offers that space.
It’s important to Cooper that Goldberry serves Ashland. He said his family has lived here for eight generations, and loves supporting the community.
Cooper said the new location has been full every day, adding his staff has been “incredible” at meeting the demand.
“We’ve been designing for a year and a half, so to see people in here has just been really surreal,” Cooper said.
For those with interest in renting out Goldberry’s meeting room or new space, you can email enjoy@goldberryroasting.com.
This independent, local reporting provided by our Report for America Corps members is brought to you in part by the generous support of the Ashland County Community Foundation.