MECO Coffee Collective owners Isaac Olson and Shane Stinn were surprised when just days after broaching ideas for expanding their business an opportunity presented itself. On Aug. 1, the Longmont coffee shop will open its second location in Louisville.
MECO Coffee Collective opened its first location at 627 Main Street less than a year ago.
Olson said the duo had been thinking about their next venture, however, they hadn’t settled on a plan, nor did they expect to within the next year.
However, on an early morning in April, Olson broke out of his normal routine and hopped on Facebook to see what was happening there. Scrolling only a few posts down he came across a post from a local and long-standing coffee shop in Louisville.
The post mentioned that the owners were looking to move out of state and wanted to sell their business, located at the corner of Boulder Road and Main Street in Louisville.
Olson seized the moment and contacted the owners; he and Stinn were visiting and making long-term plans by the end of the day.
“This wasn’t our goal, but we are super excited,” Olson said. “We got into this opportunity because we saw an opportunity to help a family that was in need … We saw it as a community-led opportunity to help another small business but also to be able to progress ourselves.”
MECO Coffee Collective has established itself as a community-oriented business that not only welcomes everyone to come in and get to know each other but also as a place other entrepreneurs can get a start.
In Longmont, the coffee shop doubles as a collective retail space for local artists and entrepreneurs by providing them a space to showcase their wares.
These are concepts Olson and Stinn are excited to bring to the Louisville community as well. However, the current floor plan of the new shop will limit their goal for a short while.
Olson said he hopes to reshape the current floor plan to allow for a small retail space and more seating for patrons within the next year.
The Louisville location will remain in control of the current owners until July 31. The next day MECO will officially open its doors and begin welcoming customers under the new ownership. The shop will not close through the transition.
The new coffee shop will still feature some of the same types of pastries locals have always enjoyed while adding some of the MECO favorites from Longmont. Also, coffee and other drink options will expand to include the MECO menu.
Additionally, Olson and Stinn said they are excited to keep the current members of the 11 member staff on the payroll.
“We are here. There is going to be an awesome, community-oriented coffee shop in replace of an equally community-oriented, passionate coffee shop … The (prior business) concept is going away but the overall business is not,” Olson said.
