TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — In between grinding coffee and steaming milk, Yellow Brick Coffee baristas are trying to create something else — community. The shop on Dodge Road opened in 2014 by a brother and sister duo.
"It’s my job not only to make coffee but to make your day while making your coffee," Teegan Nowell, one of the baristas, said.
For long time customer Frank Ramos, there's no better place to grab his morning cup of coffee.
"When I walk in everyone says 'Frank!'” he said. "It’s kinda like our own little Cheers where everyone knows your name.”
And now the team at Yellow Brick is trying to expand their reach in Tucson by creating their second location at the Benedictine Monastery at 800 N. Country Club Road. It will be an upscale shop with an open design so customers can easily see their drink being created.
"We designed it to be really visible for the customers like you would have a chefs table or an open kitchen that’s how we’ve designed our espresso bar,” Adam Lane, the general manager, said.
He said they've been working on expanding for years.
"We’ve been intentionally growing our wholesale and e-commerce platform to put us into a position financially where we’ve been able to expand,” he said.
As the shop expands, they're looking for more baristas to join the team.
"We're always looking for more baristas," she said. "Something that we all love doing is training new people and showing them the love of coffee that we all have.”
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Tina Giuliano is a reporter for KGUN 9. She is a native Arizonan and grew up in Scottsdale. Tina is passionate about storytelling and is excited to work telling Tucson's stories. Share your story ideas and important issues with Tina by emailing tina.giuliano@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
