The building at 2374 W. Broad St. has seen a lot of life. Since its construction in 1928, it’s been a bank, a pet store and served as a storage facility for an auction house. And now the address can count coffee roasting facility and used book shop amongst its ranks.
Roosevelt Coffee Roasters, the roasting arm for Downtown and Franklinton coffee shops The Roosevelt Coffeehouse, has moved its operations to the Hilltop building and soon it will be joined by Kennedy Used Books, run by social entrepreneur John Rush.
Both running social enterprises that value profit along with social impact, Rush, who also owns 180 Demo, CleanTurn and Third Way Cafe, and Roosevelt Founder and Owner Kenny Sipes were familiar with each others’ work and had often turned to each other for a word of business advice or encouragement.
Rush had initially heard that there was a group of folks interested in building up this particular area of the Hilltop and became part of the investment group that purchased the building. He also knew that Roosevelt was roasting on borrowed time in its previous facility.
Since early 2020, the building at 567 W. Broad St. at which Roosevelt had been roasting had been up for sale. Sipes says they didn’t know when and if the building would sell, and if it did, if they’d be allowed to stay. Late last year, they got their answer. The building sold and while the new owners were gracious with giving them time to find what was next, Roosevelt needed a new home.
As soon as Rush offered Roosevelt a look at the Hilltop space, Sipes knew they’d found their new location. It’s only marginally larger than their old spot, but, “The openness has changed the game for us,” Sipes says.
With a mostly wide open space and tall ceilings, Sipes says they were able to design a more functional layout for their roasting facility. They’ve also gained a mezzanine office space and have room to grow, both in roasting capacity and in finished work space.
While the goal would be to outgrow it, Sipes says it’s nice to have the continuity of knowing they have a good home for the next several years. And in a location that fits their brand.
“We love being in Franklinton because of what it could do for that area economically, so to be in another area of town that’s trying to find its footing is a positive thing for us to be a part of,” Sipes says.
For Rush, the partnership is about the location, but it’s also about the books.
When the Acorn Bookshop in Grandview went out of business in 2018, Rush bought out the inventory. For a time, the books found a temporary home at the coffee shop Rush opened with his son on the West Side, Third Way Cafe. As demand grew for seating at the coffee shop (which does indeed serve Roosevelt Coffee), the books went back into storage.
“I’d been looking for a space to take the books out of storage and place them and have some type of creative literacy focus,” Rush says.
Kennedy Used Books will be many things. Mirroring the work of his other social enterprises, there will be a supportive re-entry element tied in, such as finding a way to support the library system within the prison system through the shop. Additionally, they’ll look to partner with the local library on other literacy programs.
The shop will also be a space where local authors can be celebrated and highlighted; a place where people can have conversations; a spot where folks can sit and read or work for awhile.
The book shop will occupy the front of the building and a stretch down the east wall that leads down to the basement. The basement will get a refresh, serving part as storage, part as an extension of the shop with fun graffiti art on the walls, a few books and more space to hangout. Roosevelt fills out the rest of the first floor, creating a unique interplay between the two businesses.
As a good cup of coffee and a good book often go hand-in-hand, Rush says they’re exploring options like Third Way Cafe providing complimentary drip Roosevelt Coffee for bookstore patrons. Roosevelt’s not currently brewing on site, but has built the capacity to do so in the future with the potential to do barista trainings, cuppings and other events.
Rush is excited to be cohabitating with a business like Roosevelt which, as he describes it, is not just about great quality coffee, but also leveraging market demand for great quality coffee to support key social issues locally and around the planet. Big picture, he wants to bring more of that type of business to the Hilltop and has been involved in conversations and initiatives to bring more economic vitality to the area.
“I’d love to see development happen in the neighborhood that’s people centered, and so as the neighborhood changes…I want it to be intentionally focused on the people of the neighborhood so it doesn’t push people out, forget certain folks because of their background or challenges or economic status,” Rush says. “So how do we bring business that kind of complement that vision?”
Roosevelt Roasters is up and running in the space, while Kennedy Used Books is aiming for a late April opening.
For more information, visit roosevelt.coffee.
All photos by Susan Post
