Kevin Taisey owns a successful heating and air-conditioning company, but for years he’s wanted to open a cafe?. He knew the perfect spot, too — Route 13 north and Main Street in Odessa.
“This has been a dream of mine,” Taisey said. “I would drive by this place every day, and say, ‘Man, that would make a great coffeehouse.’ The minute I saw it was available, I put an offer in.”
The place is a former gas station, vacant for years, that Taisey transformed into Corner Grounds Cafe? that opened Jan. 19. Hours are Monday to Friday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
With 11 employees, the business serves a variety of beverages including coffees, lattes and cappuccinos along with bagels, pastries and other baked goods delivered fresh daily.
“I didn’t want customers to have to wait 10 minutes on a breakfast sandwich, so we stuck with bagels and baked goods that are ready to go,” Taisey said.
Remnants of the gas station can be seen like the steel beam across the interior and the large windows where the garage doors were for the service bays.
But the feeling inside is more like a living room with upholstered furniture and an electric fireplace.
“I wanted this to be a comfortable place. Sometimes, people sit here for hours,” Taisey said. “It’s just a small, family business, and it’s really taken off.”
On the morning of Feb. 15, the seating area was nearly full as some customers chatted while others worked on laptop computers or looked at their cellphones while sipping coffee.
McKinley and Nickisha Lingham said they visit Corner Grounds each morning before heading to their business, Lingham Construction.
“We like to start our day here,” McKinley said. “The coffee and bagels are great, and the owner’s here every day. He’s involved. That’s good to see.”
Nickisha described the cafe? as “cozy and warm.”
First-time customer, Larissa Ward, also said the atmosphere is cozy.
“It’s very nice, very well done,” Ward said.
Another first-time customer, Gregory Logue, said he wanted to see what the cafe? looked like in the former gas station.
“It’s an interesting take. I like the idea,” Logue said. “I’m happy someone was finally able to open something here because it’s a good location on Route 13. We pass by almost every day.”
While easy for drivers to see on Route 13 and Route 299, Corner Grounds has a lot of visitors who walk to the cafe?, Taisey said.
He thinks people like taking a stroll along the tree-lined streets past the historic homes and stopping in for coffee and conversation.
“Odessa is a beautiful town,” he said. “The community has been fantastic. Almost everybody who comes in talks about the gas station and how they wondered what was going to happen with this property. The community really wanted this coffeehouse. The mayor wanted it. Everybody wanted it.”
Mayor Harvey C. Smith Jr. estimated that the former Gulf gas station had been closed for at least 30 years. It was closed when he moved to Odessa in 1998.
The owner was a member of the Odessa Fire Company and when there was a fire alarm, he would stop traffic at that corner on Route 13 so the firetrucks could safely enter the highway from Main Street, Smith said.
But after the gas station was closed for so long, the vacant building became an eyesore.
“That is really one of the gateways to our town,” Smith said.
The Odessa Historic Commission directed that renovations should keep the same basic look of the former gas station.
“I think they’ve achieved that, with the large windows where the garage bays used to be,” Smith said.
Along with improving the appearance of the town, Smith said the new business will “definitely increase property tax revenue,” provide jobs and provide a place for people to gather.
“Inside, they have furniture groupings where you can sit and talk. They’ve done a nice job,” Smith said. "And the coffee's good."
Reporter Ben Mace covers real estate and development stories. Reach him at [email protected].