The Morning Grind Coffee House Opens in Johnstown

JOHNSTOWN - The old First National Bank on Ferndale Avenue in Johnstown closed over a year ago and has now reopened as a coffee shop.

After about a year of renovations, The Morning Grind Coffee House has been open for about three weeks.

The shop is in the middle of a "soft open" in order to test what customers like.

"We haven't really advertised yet, a lot of word of mouth, just trying to ease people into it, work out the some of the kinks, and find out what works what doesn't work," co-owner Derek Hayes said.

Hayes said the shop has been busy each day and business has gone well so far. He thinks the location attracts customers who pass through.

"Its a high traffic area. It's a popular route from Westmont to Richland. It's next to a church and next to a bus company so it's a pretty attractive location to us. It was kind of a no-brainer to do it here," Hayes said.

The independently owned shop gets its products from local vendors in Pittsburgh. The Morning Grind sells pastries and snacks like biscotti, oatmeal, bagels and various deserts but, Hayes thinks it will be their approach to coffee that will set them apart.

"Flavored coffee is a pretty big deal here, and I don't know anywhere else in the area that has it," said Hayes.

Those flavors will be featured as "Flavors of the Week," like Banana Hazelnut and Chocolate Swirl. A new flavor is promoted every Friday.

"We switch that out weekly, so we'll have something new for people on a pretty consistent basis. I think that's what will separate us from everybody else," said Hayes.

In addition to their beverage and food menu, The Morning Grind includes a drive-thru window, checkers table, fire place and a back room available for events.

The coffee house is open for business, but plans to host its official grand opening July 18.

ncG1vNJzZmivmpawtcKNnKamZ56axLR7y6iamqRfqbWmecyoqaehnpx6qL7Ip5tmm5%2Bbs6axjKGmrquVYryxsc2sZKKmXZ%2B8qbrSraawpg%3D%3D