The owners of a downtown coffee shop plan to open a drive-thru coffee business on U.S. 169, northeast of the city.
Gabe and Myra Gleason, with partner and landowner Jenn Chester, plan to break ground next month on their new business, offering a quick option for travelers to pick up coffee, beverages or pastries. The business, called Milk & Marrow, is expected to open in the fall.
Myra Gleason noted there are few drive-thru options on U.S. 169 between Kansas City and Tulsa — and none that specialize in coffee.
“When I drive, I want to be able to get on the road, get coffee and not have to go out of my way to stop somewhere,” she said.
The business will be a separate entity from Fillmore Coffeehouse & Plant Cafe, 102 S. Washington Ave., also owned and operated by the Gleasons.
The new business will be located east of the intersection of U.S. 169 and North Dakota Road. Allen County commissioners approved a recommendation from the planning committee to change the zoning to allow the business. The planning committee unanimously approved the request, with a stipulation that if the business were to be sold for a different use, the new owners would need to come back before the board.
The zoning change also allows for food trucks on the property.
Gleason said they also plan to allow food trucks and are actively looking for vendors.
The hope is to grow the business into an agri-tourism destination.
The motto of Milk & Marrow is “Sipping the Pleasures of Life.”
“It’s all about separating out the good things in life from the bad,” she said.
Gleason said her passion for gardening comes from her experiences with children in foster care. She uses an analogy of how planting a seed is similar to the bonding process for foster families:
“When you walk into a house for the first time, you plant a seed. You grow it, water it, nurture it, see how it grows through the seasons.”
She hopes to expand that analogy in a literal way.
“We want to do a therapy garden. We want to do a cut-flower garden where people can come out and cut their own bouquet,” she said.
Other possibilities are to add a farmers market, live music and perhaps eventually a small store dedicated to locally made goods.
