MANCHESTER — Main Street coffee shop Silk City Coffee will embark on its first expansion with a new location in Willimantic, taking the space of Grounded Coffee Co. after it closes in September.
Grounded Coffee Co., located at 869 Main St. in Willimantic, was founded in 2015, not too long before Silk City Coffee. The shop announced last week that it plans to close Sept. 5, marking nearly a decade in the community.
Silk City Coffee announced on social media July 18 that Grounded Coffee Co. is "passing the baton" and will become Silk City Coffee's second location this September. Though Silk City Coffee has collaborated with others in and out of the coffee business, its store at 763 Main St. has been its only permanent location since 2016.
In a statement posted July 19, Grounded Coffee Co. co-founders Steve Bachiochi and Nick Bentley said they plan to move on from the shop as life "pulls us in new directions," with Bentley planning to focus on his passion for music and Bachiochi continuing his education in the hopes of later opening a mental health practice in Willimantic.
Bachiochi said Grounded Coffee Co. is leaving its space in "the best possible hands," and is excited to see what Silk City Coffee brings to Willimantic.
"They are an incredible team with a deep love for craft coffee and community — values we’ve always held close," Bachiochi said. "Grounded may be closing, but the spirit of what we started here will live on."
Tammy Gerhard, co-owner of Silk City Coffee, said Wednesday that Bachicohi and Bentley are friends of the store and asked if Silk City Coffee would like to purchase the Grounded space when they made the "hard" decision to close.
"They saw in us, I think, an overlap in the work we do," Gerhard said, noting Grounded's commitment to both its community and product. "We're really excited, we're grateful for the opportunity to continue the legacy they began there."
Gerhard said Willimantic is close to her heart, as she graduated from Eastern Connecticut State University and Silk City Coffee has run donation campaigns for the no-freeze shelter in town. She said Willimantic is vibrant and diverse, with a lot of excitement and community spirit on its Main Street.
"We have a passion about us to go in and work with main streets that are in the middle of revitalization, that's what Manchester was when we went in there and that's where Willimantic is now," Gerhard said.
As for an opening date, Gerhard said Silk City Coffee plans to open shortly after Grounded closes, as little work will need to be done to the building, beyond minor remodeling to add Silk City Coffee's own flair.