Coffee Spot debuts in Stamford’s Harbor Point
By Paul Schott
Harbor Point’s newest business is the people’s choice, says the establishment’s landlord.
Launched two weeks ago at 24 Harbor Point Road, Coffee Spot responds to requests from many neighboring residents and office workers in the South End mixed-use complex who wanted a destination within walking distance where they could grab a cup of coffee and snack.
“Having a coffee place has been a desire of the residential and office tenants here for a long time,” Ted Ferrarone, chief operating officer of Stamford-based Building and Land Technology, Harbor Point’s developer and main landlord, said in an interview last week. “As we were looking at the summer, we had a lot of great things planned here, but we knew we were lacking a coffee place.”
The 1,850-square-foot storefront, at the corner of Harbor Point Road and Washington Boulevard, had been mostly vacant in the past few years, except for a few pop-up installations. No other coffee establishments operate within the surrounding blocks.
Last year, BLT planned to bring in another coffee establishment, Zona Coffee, to the same address.
But the Zona operators could not bring the idea to fruition, so BLT had to pivot. At a meeting last month with Flik Hospitality Group — a longtime BLT partner, whose services include management of the cafeteria at the neighboring 2200 Atlantic St. office building — the two parties decided to join forces to set up their own coffee place.
On April 16, Coffee Spot opened its doors.
“This is a meeting spot,” said Flik district manager Paula McCann. “People are saying ‘Let’s meet on the corner,’ and the corner is the coffee spot.”
Coffee Spot serves Seattle’s Best Coffee products, including lattes, blended and iced drinks, and regular and decaffeinated coffee. Tazo tea complements the coffee.
It also sells baked goods such as muffins, bagels and pastries, and packaged snacks.
Customers in a rush can use a self-serve station, while those with a few minutes to spare can order barista-made drinks such as cappuccinos.
“We’ve been asked for some other food items, but we don’t need to provide other items because they’re already down here,” McCann said. “We don’t want to take from the existing amenities that are available here, with the restaurants.”
Since its launch, Coffee Spot has attracted an eclectic group of Harbor Point residents — many of whom bring their dogs — as well as workers and visitors. It seats about 40.
“There’s a great ambiance here; I like the minimalist vibe,” said Glastonbury resident Eric Zdanowski, in Stamford for the day last Friday, pointing to the exposed ductwork on the ceiling. “And the coffee was excellent, too.”
A number of other newcomers have arrived in the past few months or plan to make their debut later this year on Harbor Point Road, which serves as Harbor Point’s main restaurant row.
Mexican-barbecue restaurant Mexicue opened in February at 15 Harbor Point Road. Across the street from Mexicue, Patisserie Salzburg, which has eateries in Rye and Scarsdale, N.Y., plans to open later this spring at 2 Harbor Point Road.
Other neighbors include Sign of the Whale, Boothbay Lobster, Bareburger Fortina and Corbo’s.
Around the corner from the restaurant row, a wine store, Harbor Point Wines & Spirits, plans to launch later this spring at 130 Washington Blvd.
BLT also plans to find another restaurant to fill the void next to Coffee Spot left by the departure three months ago of World of Beer, at 18 Harbor Point Road.
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This article first appeared on April 30, 2018 in the Stamford Advocate.
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For more information about FLIK Hospitality Group and the FLIK Blog, please reach us at flikblog@compass-usa.com.