Mantua – What this sleepy town really needs is a double shot of espresso.
…And that’s exactly what it’s getting when Restoration 44 Coffee Company opens for business on May 6. R44 will provide a welcoming gathering place for old friends to meet over a fresh-brewed cup and a just-baked cinnamon roll. Professionals will have a sophisticated setting to conduct business via free Wi-Fi. Young folks can enjoy a cool new place to try every variety of bubble tea. Everyone can have a seat at a table.
Located at the corner of Main and Prospect streets along State Route 44 at 10675 Main Street, the new coffee company is hosting a Grand Opening Week, May 6-12. New customers can enjoy the full menu of drinks (coffees, teas, bubble teas and smoothies), breakfast sandwiches/wraps, desserts and lunch fare. They can get started with the R44 customer loyalty program with their first order. Daily hours for the shop are 6am-8pm on Mondays through Fridays; 7am-8pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
Anyone stepping into the renovated building will appreciate the spacious, modern bi-level shop with its ceramic-tiled double-sided fireplace, live-edge ash sitting counter ledges, hickory beams and hickory service counter. Hand-built tables and re-claimed antique chairs seat 49 customers at a time. Cozy easy chairs are nestled here and there for quiet places to read or study.
T. Manfrass & Associates Architects, LLC from Ravenna provided the architectur-al design for the remodeling of the building. Kent State University graduate student Zuzana Kubišová (from Slovakia), designed the interior space and exterior facade of Mantua’s first coffee shop, creating a one-of-a-kind establishment that nods to the rustic past while celebrating contemporary, clean lines in airy spaces.
Anticipating robust and sustained foot traffic, shop owners hope to help reinvigorate Mantua’s struggling downtown, which hasn’t quite recouped its bustling vibrancy from yesteryear. It helps that the new shop is collaborating with local businesses, bakers, restaurateurs, artisans and even the Mantua Historical Society to showcase their wares on a regular basis.
The coffee shop is located at the site of the former Haylett’s Grocery Store and Old Barrel Restaurant. Three generations later, Shawn Haylett of Haylett’s BP Station is coming full circle with a to-go cooler of exclusively branded old-fashioned sodas, lunch and snack foods at R44. Also, a variety of fresh-baked goods will be provided by local bakers Peggy Stierl, Pearl’s Cakery and Tracy Garrett’s Top Tier Pastry.
It all started less than a year ago, when three sets of friends agreed to pool together their talents and efforts, investing in the long-vacant property. Restoration 44 Coffee Company is the shared dream of co-owners Terry and Annette Tung of Chagrin Falls, Dan and Linda Tillett of Mantua, and Jamie and Carrie Leister, also of Mantua.
Tillett and his crew from Troy Construction (with additional help from local contractors including Benner Masonry and Frost Glass) have renovated the 2,400-square-foot commercial space that once housed the grocery store and restaurant. An adjacent storefront section will soon be renovated into a 2,500-square-foot banquet room.
In addition to the commercial structure, the new owners also have purchased the large Victorian home attached to the rear of the property. This 5,000-square-foot residence facing Main Street houses four apartments, which are also undergoing renovation by landlord Jamie Leister.
Tung is the business manager of the coffee shop. He has hired and trained a team of baristas to serve up specialty coffees provided by Solstice Roaster of Cleveland. Cinnamon rolls and chocolate chip cookies will be baked in-house every morning.
Keep up with the latest developments on the Restoration 44 Coffee Company Facebook page, call (330) 357-8044 or email the company at info@r44coffee.com. The company website — www.r44coffee.com — is currently under construction but should go live soon after the shop opens.
“Back in the day, people from town used to come here for their staples,” Carrie Leister comments. “This was the place where people bumped into their neighbors, stopped to chat, and kept community connections alive. That’s what we hope to bring back to this space… with a modern twist” (and a double shot of espresso!)
