The Woods Coffee is building a new
location on Lakeway Drive, and the store is expected to be opening towards the
end of January, according to Wes Herman, owner of The Woods Coffee.
The
store will be on the corner of Lakeway Drive and King Street, just across from
Fred Meyer. The building now under
construction used to house the Lychee Buffet before it closed in December of
2011.
“That
is a super high traffic area, and it is underserved in coffee,” said Herman of
his new store’s construction on Lakeway.
“We felt that there was great opportunity to capitalize on a high-impact
location.”
Three
other coffee shops currently serve the shopping center in Puget on the corner
of Lakeway Drive and Lincoln Street: Crusin’ Coffee, Starbucks, and Zoom Zoom
Espresso. Crusin’ Coffee is located just
off of Lakeway within the Lakeway Shopping Center; Starbucks is located within
the Fred Meyer; and Zoom Zoom Espresso sits just off Lincoln, across the street
from the Lincoln Creek Park ‘N Ride, a bit further down the road.
“We
do something different than most drive-through coffee shops,” said Herman. “We stand on our own with that. We have remarkable interiors, we serve people
efficiently, and we have a staff that is second to none.”
While Crusin’ Coffee offers a drive-through
but no sit-down area, Starbucks offers seats within the Fred Meyer but has no
drive-through. Zoom Zoom Espresso offers
both in-shop seating and a drive-through, but its off-Lakeway location means
that it does not receive the same amount of heavy traffic. However, the new Woods Coffee on Lakeway will
be a full sit-down location with drive-through, according to Herman.
“I
think everybody in coffee is competition, just like any other business in their
market sector,” Herman said. “But yes,
absolutely, there is competition from everybody that does coffee, and this is a
highly caffeinated community.”
Crusin’
Coffee was unable to respond.
Customers
of the Starbucks within Fred Meyer had various reactions to the new Woods
Coffee.
“It’s
cool that there’s going to be another coffee shop,” said one girl. “I live over near the Sehome Haggen, and the
Woods in there isn’t open later at night.
We have Starbucks, too, but it’s nice to see another coffee place going
in around here.”
One
student said he liked studying in coffee stores and that the Starbucks within
Fred Meyer didn’t offer the same atmosphere as separate coffee shops.
Another
woman felt that an additional coffee stop on Lakeway was unnecessary. “Well, I come here (Starbucks in Fred Meyer)
when I do my shopping, but I don’t think it’s (another coffee place) really
needed.”
The
Starbucks in Fred Meyer is open from 7 am until 9 pm, and Crusin’ Coffee’s
hours are from 4:30 am until 10 pm Sunday through Thursday and from 4:30 am
until midnight on Friday and Saturday.
The hours for the new Woods Coffee have yet to be determined.
The
Lychee Buffet’s old building which will be featuring the new Woods Coffee in
January is a much larger venue than Woods needs for operation.
“That
location is twice as big as what we need, so we will be leasing out the west
side of that building,” said Herman.
“We’re currently looking for the right tenant that could be our
neighbor.”
Building
in a developing high-traffic location, Herman hopes to find a business that
will complement the mood of his own store and that of the area.
“I
don’t know about anyone in particular, but I think we would like to see a fast,
casual restaurant,” said Herman.
“Something along those lines would be the right fit, as far as we are
concerned.”
The
Woods Coffee has been in operation for 11 years in the
Bellingham/Ferndale/Lynden area, and they are currently building their 13th
and 14th stores in Barkley and Puget.
“We
live in the Northwest,” said one humorous customer. “No matter what store, people will always buy
coffee.”
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