DAVENPORT, Iowa - There is a new coffee shop on the corner of 3rd Street and Scott Street in Downtown Davenport, and it is already proving to be attractive to young professionals.
392 Caffe opened at 6:30 a.m. on January 10.
The shop, famous for its savory drinks and healthy menu options, first opened in Clinton, Iowa and has a pop-up shop located inside of Baked Bread and Beer Company in the Village of East Davenport.
Now, this new location is bringing a whole new vibe to the Downtown area.
"It's like a dance party in here," said customer Junior Ezeugwu on opening day, as electronic dance music greets customers walking in the door.
"The atmosphere and aesthetic is beautiful, the energy of the employees is awesome and the coffee and food is amazing." said Ezeugwu when asked what his experience was like. "It is a good atmosphere of just lively people and people that legit care about you. They will ask you how your day is going."
The owner of 392 Caffe, Jay Sanders, is from Los Angeles.
He said originally, his idea was to come to the Midwest, open a coffee shop, staff the shop, and then leave and run the business remotely. That never happened.
"We had an opportunity with this, and we just, like, seized the moment, so here we are" said Sanders who identified as a Midwesterner during his interview.
Sanders also said getting to opening day was not easy. He said he ran into communication issues between contractors and city inspectors, which cost him time and money.
"What was supposed to be like a 30-day process or a 2-month process turned into five and a half months and a whole lot of money," Sanders said about a particular stretch of construction.
Now that the business is open and already showing signs of lasting success, Sanders hopes to work with business owners and local leaders to smooth out the process of renovating spaces into small business.
Sanders says he hopes to see more small business owners invest in the areas around his shop, a move that his customers say will help to keep young people and their talents in the Quad City area.
"It will help get a different mindset of what the Quad Cities can be." said Ezeugwu.
This 392 Caffe location is also co-owned by WWE superstar Seth Rollins, who owns Black and Brave Wrestling Academy, located directly next to the coffee shop.