New coffee shop plans March debut at Fairbanks

The exit of one coffee shop at The Fairbanks in north Springfield has opened the doors for another to soon fill the vacancy.

March 4 is the planned opening date for Hidden Grounds LLC, which does business as Hidden Grounds Coffee House, said co-owner MacKenzie Toomey. The venture will fill around 800 square feet on the second floor at the 1126 N. Broadway Ave. community resource hub. Toomey co-owns Hidden Grounds with business partner Justin Fry.

While declining to disclose startup costs or the one-year lease rate she signed with nonprofit Drew Lewis Foundation Inc., owned by Amy Blansit, Toomey said much of the equipment for the shop was already provided by the nonprofit.

“We’ll obviously buy more equipment as needed, but since it was already a nice setup, we were very blessed by that,” Toomey said.

The new shop will replace Kaiju Coffee, which opened in November 2022, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting. Blansit said Kaiju Coffee closed earlier this year.

It’s the first brick-and-mortar business ownership venture for Toomey, whose past work experience includes nearly five years as director of operations for U.S. Baseball League LLC and over a year as youth programming director at Betty & Bobby Allison Sports Town, according to her LinkedIn profile.

The shop’s menu will include espresso drinks, drip coffee and cold brew, as well as tea, lemonade and smoothies.

Hidden Grounds is sourcing its coffee beans from Victory Mission and Ministry via its Equip Coffee company, Toomey said, adding her business also will offer a membership program for individuals and businesses. She is filing paperwork for the venture to become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with the intent of allowing all memberships to be available as a tax-deductible option. Memberships will provide one free coffee per day or $1 off other menu items. Individual memberships will be $25 per month, while monthly memberships for businesses are priced at $100 for up to five employees.

“We’re going to be reaching out to local businesses,” she said of promoting its membership program. “We’re going to start with north Springfield businesses since that is the community that we are in, but then we’ll extend that out.”

Toomey said she was determined to keep her shop’s prices affordable for walk-in traffic at The Fairbanks, which has few coffee shops nearby beyond those on Commercial Street.

“There is nothing on our menu that’s over $6. It’s really important for coffee to be affordable and accessible,” she said. “That’s a unique thing about that location as well is that we’re providing that affordable coffee in a community where coffee shops aren’t as accessible.”