New Village Center Draws Name Tenants
(12/26/2008) By James Gill

Build it and they will come may have been in the minds of William Sprague, his grandson Kody and builder Bill Gugino when they first discussed purchasing the former sports center on Washington Street that had been sitting vacant for several years. Renovations began immediately following the purchase with plans for retail or commercial space on the bottom floor and offices or apartments on the new second floor addition. With the addition of the second floor the “new” building now contains12, 000 square feet of space available for rental. One of the main features the location offers is ample parking for tenants and customers, plus new tenants having the opportunity to customize their rental area to fit their needs. Leasing information is available through Kody Sprague at 716 258 0613.

As renovations near completion two significant companies will anchor part of the main floor of the building, Subway have leased space along the east side of the building and a fast growing Canadian restaurant chain called Coffee Culture Café & Eatery have leased 1,800 square feet at the front.

Coffee Culture Café & Eatery (Coffee culture is a term used to describe a social atmosphere that depends heavily on coffee) (www.coffeeculture.ca) first opened in Woodstock, Ontario in 2006, the marketplace immediately accepted the European style coffee house concept to the point there are currently 45 locations in Ontario. Due to their rapid success in Canada, company President Peter Karamountzos has plans for launching additional outlets in the greater Buffalo area, Pennsylvania and Ohio. The chains preference where feasible is locations in downtown areas or villages where there’s strong neighborhood foot traffic, an approach that differs dramatically from another popular Canadian chain, Tim Hortons.

Their business philosophies also take on a much different approach from the drive through or take out practices in the industry. Coffee Culture President Karamountzos mentioned “Our theme is come in for a taste, stay for a visit,” he also went on to mention “We know people are in a hurry, but that doesn’t mean they have to settle for a sterile fast-food experience.”

The beautiful interior decor of their cafés usually averaging 2,000 square feet complete with outdoor patio provides encouragement to sit and relax. Outfitted with comfortable leather chairs a warm décor supported by rich wooden fixtures and food served on real china with silverware attract a wide variety of clientele to their locations.

Their menus for breakfast, lunch/dinner have been developed to offer a variety of quality products to satisfy people of all ages and lifestyles for both on-the-go and sit-down customers at reasonable prices. Customers will find a large variety of coffee blends, fresh baked goods, European grilled sandwiches, decadent deserts, and catering services will also be available.

Earlier this week a design and layout team from Coffee Culture was in Ellicottville focusing on the façade that will be designed to blend in with the century buildings already located on Washington Street. Following approval by the village boards, construction is expected to take 8-10 weeks.

The Ellicottville location will be the second one in the United States, the first one is under construction in Williamsville, NY. The location here will generate between 12 and 15 jobs plus management employees, their specialized construction workers and management trainees will be residing in Ellicottville for a period of 2 to 4 weeks and local construction workers will be hired to work on the project helping generate additional employment in the area.