Living and working in the Carlsbad Village is fabulous, but living above our work in the same building is extraordinary indeed. Surely, I am the only local resident who can say that my grandfather laid the hardwood floor in the historic Twin Inns. Or who can boast that my great-grandfather was the local mason in Carlsbad with his original home still standing on Valley and Oak, known as the Vansickle house.
Having a desire to better embrace my community and assist in the current ongoing redevelopment plan, I took an interest in the new condominium project with the storefronts underneath being built by Anastasi Development in 2005. I slowly began my dream of consolidating our family's belongings and worked on figuring out a way to move into one of the condominiums above the storefronts. My efforts continued to comingle a home, work and community with the idea of living, working and somehow serving the people and goals within my village and life.
After the long journey to finally acquiring a home base above the storefronts in 2009, it quickly became clear what exactly was missing on this furthest Northwest corner of our Village. Historically , people need their home first, their work second and their coffee house third. Most of us do have our own “third place,” which is the spot after our home and office that we frequent and consider an extension of ourselves.
Our new It's A Grind Coffee House business is an extension of our own home and was built for the community. It is inviting, relaxing, warm and comfortable. It is a place of community, sharing, caring and is very engaging. It serves the finest Arabica beans with authenticity, integrity, compassion and with an all-around genuine love of our neighbors and community.
The spacious 1600-square-foot coffee house is the perfect place in the Village for socializing, studying, reading, visiting with friends or even making a business meeting or writing a contract. The house serves more than 19 specialty coffees, perfect espresso, specialty mixed drinks, teas, various freshly baked pastries and desserts. Gluten-free guests and children will also find pleasing special drinks and treats to enjoy as well.
From a business perspective, I can share many wonderful assets that living above a store has to offer an owner. We have had the opportunity to get to know our neighbors and their families before the business was created. Because of this experience, we knew our neighbors' thoughts and feelings and we also learned what was missing for their families. Not having to commute to work always gives you a bit more needed rest and relaxation as well. If there is a problem downstairs or someone gets sick or is involved in an accident, you are always nearby to extend a helping hand. Extra office space or storage is handier when you don't need to go far for retrieval.
Mixed-use buildings are coming back from the past and offer much to the owner and to the guests as a destination. It truly is an appealing experience to be right in the midst of shopping, transportation, specialty shops, and still right at home with your neighbors all at the same time. Our own neighbors and community are our first guests and we enjoy sharing all of the fears, joys, frustrations, successes and failures that touch our daily lives. We all feel good about it because it embraces our needs and we feel at home.
We hope you will love and enjoy the coffee house as much as we do every day. Leave the car at home and stroll on over.
Rhonda Drogo is the co-proprieter of It's Grind Coffee House in the Village. She and her co-proprieters husband Sam and daughter Shalyn live right upstairs. It's a Grind Coffee House is located at 2744 Carlsbad Boulevard, Suite 101.
Having a desire to better embrace my community and assist in the current ongoing redevelopment plan, I took an interest in the new condominium project with the storefronts underneath being built by Anastasi Development in 2005. I slowly began my dream of consolidating our family's belongings and worked on figuring out a way to move into one of the condominiums above the storefronts. My efforts continued to comingle a home, work and community with the idea of living, working and somehow serving the people and goals within my village and life.
After the long journey to finally acquiring a home base above the storefronts in 2009, it quickly became clear what exactly was missing on this furthest Northwest corner of our Village. Historically , people need their home first, their work second and their coffee house third. Most of us do have our own “third place,” which is the spot after our home and office that we frequent and consider an extension of ourselves.
Our new It's A Grind Coffee House business is an extension of our own home and was built for the community. It is inviting, relaxing, warm and comfortable. It is a place of community, sharing, caring and is very engaging. It serves the finest Arabica beans with authenticity, integrity, compassion and with an all-around genuine love of our neighbors and community.
The spacious 1600-square-foot coffee house is the perfect place in the Village for socializing, studying, reading, visiting with friends or even making a business meeting or writing a contract. The house serves more than 19 specialty coffees, perfect espresso, specialty mixed drinks, teas, various freshly baked pastries and desserts. Gluten-free guests and children will also find pleasing special drinks and treats to enjoy as well.
From a business perspective, I can share many wonderful assets that living above a store has to offer an owner. We have had the opportunity to get to know our neighbors and their families before the business was created. Because of this experience, we knew our neighbors' thoughts and feelings and we also learned what was missing for their families. Not having to commute to work always gives you a bit more needed rest and relaxation as well. If there is a problem downstairs or someone gets sick or is involved in an accident, you are always nearby to extend a helping hand. Extra office space or storage is handier when you don't need to go far for retrieval.
Mixed-use buildings are coming back from the past and offer much to the owner and to the guests as a destination. It truly is an appealing experience to be right in the midst of shopping, transportation, specialty shops, and still right at home with your neighbors all at the same time. Our own neighbors and community are our first guests and we enjoy sharing all of the fears, joys, frustrations, successes and failures that touch our daily lives. We all feel good about it because it embraces our needs and we feel at home.
We hope you will love and enjoy the coffee house as much as we do every day. Leave the car at home and stroll on over.
Rhonda Drogo is the co-proprieter of It's Grind Coffee House in the Village. She and her co-proprieters husband Sam and daughter Shalyn live right upstairs. It's a Grind Coffee House is located at 2744 Carlsbad Boulevard, Suite 101.