After setbacks, local business on the cusp of opening in Evergreen Square in Peoria

As Leaves ‘n Beans Coffee worked to bring its new roastery to life in Peoria, owner James Cross said the business posted a sign at its Peoria Heights location:

“Hey, we’re coming – May 2023.”

The date was later amended to summer 2023, then fall 2023. Eventually, Cross said the anticipated opening was removed.

Now, the roastery at Evergreen Square shopping center is nearing completion.

Arriving at this point hasn’t been easy. Cross and his team encountered many road bumps and challenges along the way. Yet, he is glad to see the roastery’s new home come to fruition.

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‘Something that had to happen’

Leaves ‘n Beans currently operates its roastery out of the Trefzger’s building in Peoria Heights. Charla Grundon, operations manager, said the location has served Leaves ‘n Beans well over the years.

“It's not that we don't love it. We do,” Grundon said, “but we have simply outgrown it.”

Ultimately, she said the move was “something that had to happen,” as the business considers future growth. Leaves 'n Beans currently operates three cafes and its roastery. The cafes are situated in Peoria Heights, Morton and Pekin.

Cross said, initially, he did not think the Pekin shop could open without the larger roastery. In the end, he said they decided to move forward before the larger roastery was ready. The Pekin storefront opened at 3208 Court St. in April 2021.

“We did a lot of rearranging in that warehouse and we've made it work,” Cross said. “And it's kind of been like a Band-Aid for the last three years.”

Throughout the entire process, he said Trefzger’s has been a “phenomenal” landlord to work with.

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‘Meant to grow with us’

Inside of the Evergreen Square location, Cross and Grundon joked about getting their steps in.

It is a vast, cavernous room which dwarfs its 12 by 12 foot walk-in cooler – which Cross said is three times larger than their current cooler. The back room will also include the roasting machine, office spaces, a processing area, a loading area in back and plenty of storage space.

In fact, much of the room will remain empty after the move. Cross estimated 60% of the warehouse and roasting area will be unused once the roastery opens.

He said the extra space will allow Leaves ‘n Beans to grow as needed. And when the ground-level storage reaches capacity, Cross said the high ceilings will enable them to expand upward. Eventually, he said he wants to build a second floor with office spaces and a conference room.

“This place is meant to grow with us for the next 10 years,” Cross said.

Up front, a retail area will sell coffee, tea and merchandise. A coffee bar will offer a limited drink selection in one size, rather than a full cafe menu with food and drink. Cross said the small menu will allow customers to try the business’s coffee as they shop.

“It's to compliment the experience of picking out your coffee,” he said.

As green and brown paint goes up on the walls and work progresses, Cross and Grundon agree the space has come a long way.

The unit was previously home to Quality One Auto Center, and Grundon said the space was “pretty yucky” to start. A large oil bay needed to be filled in, and the drain leading to the bay was full of cigarette butts, she said.

“It's pretty exciting,” Cross said. “It wasn't until the paint went on the walls that I could finally envision (the) final product and actually showing up to work.”

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Encountering hiccups and challenges

Getting to this point was not a simple task, though.

Cross said their landlord encountered delays in purchasing the building. Years after first considering the space, work began in late 2022. Cross said construction stalled, however, as contractors encountered problems and costs soared.

“So, then we had eight months of nothing happening as we found new contractors and funding,” he said.

Cross and Grundon hoped to save the glass garage doors – which let in a significant amount of natural light – but Cross said they were not energy efficient enough. So, they were removed, and windows were installed.

The interior needed to be gutted, he said, to address the black mold that was found. After having new HVAC units installed, Cross learned one was not the right size. The unit was smaller than what he was originally told and would not be able to support the entire facility.

Cross said there were months when nothing would happen, and then projects would be completed quickly. He said it was a cycle of “hurry up and wait.”

Despite the challenges, Cross said their landlord has been supportive throughout the entire process. Still, he described the last few years as a bit of a blur.

“I constantly have to process where are we at? What’s the next step? Where are we going? And then just keep going forward,” he said.

Now, Cross said the space should be ready in a matter of weeks. The goal, he said, is to be in the new space in time for a Labor Day sale. Yet, he said “if we don’t make that then life goes on. We figure it out.”

“With as many delays that we have had, a couple of months seems like nothing,” Grundon added.

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A ‘stepping stone’ for growth

While the roastery has been years in the making, the move will happen quickly.

Grundon said it will be “all hands on deck” as the roaster and supplies are transported from the Peoria Heights space to the new location at Evergreen Square.

Before then, Cross said the business will roast enough coffee for a week of operations. He does not expect the transition to take long but wants to be prepared for any possible delays.

“We moved (the roaster) once. We have practice at that,” he said. “We know how to move our roaster, but we like to plan for all hiccups.”

Once the roaster is installed, Cross said the new space will finally feel like home.

Cross said most customers have expressed excitement about the new storefront. Evergreen Square shopping center provides Leaves ‘n Beans a more central location with closer highway access, as well.

Eventually, Cross said this added highway accessibility could help the business expand to Galesburg, Bloomington or other central Illinois cities.

“This store gives us that stepping stone to make it possible to reach that far,” Cross said. “Not the last step to reach that far, but one of the steps.”

Moving forward, Cross hopes to grow Leaves ‘n Beans online sales. He said the additional space may also allow the business to expand its food operations.

Cross is taking things one step at a time, though.

“As long as we know that our current business model continues to be successful. It'll be OK,” Cross said. “It doesn't have to grow – but how can it not?”

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This article originally appeared on Journal Star: After setbacks, local business on the cusp of opening in Evergreen Square in Peoria