Overcoming growing pains is an experience some business owners face in an area that’s expanding as rapidly as Dripping Springs.
When Mazama Coffee Company owner Vikki Lewis realized her business had outgrown its flagship location on Mercer Street, she decided it was time to expand.
But opportunity soon came knocking at her door when the developers of the Caliterra subdivision, a 600-home development along Ranch Road 12, asked if she would consider opening a new location within its bounds. From there, the rest is as smooth as a calming cup of espresso.
Vaulted ceilings, a roaring fireplace, plush cushioned chairs and a white marble bar accentuate Mazama Coffee’s new location located along Ranch Road 12.
According to Lewis, the Caliterra developers wanted a local coffee shop to join their neighborhood and wanted to help expand the Mazama brand. Lewis said the developers paid for the buildout of the structure, with Lewis’ one stipulation that that the new coffee shop be open to the public.
Lewis said that although the momentum is slow to pick up – the new shop opened in mid-November – the positive response to the expansion is unmistakable.
“This is a rarity that we are this busy, but a lot of our customers from our other location have come over here because it can get crowded over there very quickly,” Lewis said.
Lewis said the new coffee shop location offers almost everything the Mercer Street location does, except it won’t carry as many syrups and does not yet have a full kitchen.
Pastries are brought over from the Mazama shop on Mercer Street, where they are baked fresh, she said.
“Until we know just how busy we are going to be we are a little limited,” Lewis said.
Lewis said that the flow of business will help her to decide hours of operation for the new location as well as staffing requirements. She said the business would adjust accordingly.
“The ambience makes it feel like home,” a Caliterra resident who attended the shop’s grand opening on Dec. 1 said.
Lewis said she expected the developer to install more retail endeavors into the massive new neighborhood, but no concrete information from the developer regarding retail possibilities for the Ranch Road 12 development has yet been released.
