Water Street to open new joint with sunroom in Portage

Renovation work is under way for Water Street Coffee Joint's newest location. The newest coffee shop will be at 245 W. Centre St., Suite B, in the Portage Centre Plaza in Portage.

Water Street is remodeling an existing building that it is leasing to suit its needs, says Jessica Del Vacchio, of Water Street Coffee Joint. The new coffee shop will be about 1,800 square feet and have many of the features Water Street customers have come to appreciate at its other locations.

Customers will find a full-service coffee bar, deli sandwiches, soups, salads, desserts, flowers, retail shirts and mugs, and bagged coffee and tea as they do in other locations.  

The new coffee shop also will have a number of new features, including a drive through window and a sun room. The glassed in area also will feature a fireplace.

There also will be a lofted seating and a drop-down seating area. Custom steel fabricated in Kalamazoo by Lee Custom Iron is being made for the loft area.

Another feature will be a slow bar for coffees that are brewed by the cup. The pour-over coffees that have been offered from time-to-time at Water Street's other shops will be a regular feature at the Portage location and a special spot will be set aside for it, says Del Vacchio.

It is expected about 25 employees will be needed for the new shop.

Work on the new coffee shop is expected to be completed in late 2014.

For those who have lost count, the new location brings the number of Water Street places of business to six. All the others have Kalamazoo addresses: Downtown Kalamazoo 315 East Water Street, Oakland 3037 Oakland Drive, Borgess (Inside Atrium) 1521 Gull Road; Water Street Kitchen 6938 Elm Valley Drive; and the Water Street Coffee Roaster 610 West Willard Street.

Source: Jessica Del Vacchio, Water Street Coffee Joint