With its two locations at the Mercado San Agustin and the warehouse chic cafe on First Avenue, Presta Coffee Roasters is known for its contemporary design sense as well as its stellar cold brew. Well now it's about to add a third location to its repertoire.
Owner Curtis Zimmerman picked out the spot in the historic Iron Horse neighborhood three years ago, but permitting delays have kept him from opening until now. Sometime next week he plans to finally debut the cafe, which is located in a hundred-year-old building at 501 E. Ninth St. just off of Fourth Avenue. While there are many coffee shops in the area, Presta will boast two outdoor patios located on the front and side of the building ... perfect for people who want to work outside.
"Being a block off of Fourth Avenue, it'll be a little hidden, but people that really want us will come," he said. "It'll be more neighborhood-related than tourism related. I want to give back to the neighborhood."
Zimmerman, an avid bike rider, said that he likes the location because it's located at the end of the Golf Links-Aviation bike trail, which whizzes through the snake bridge and stretches all the way out to Kolb Road. The building's owner Todd Rostrock convinced him to take the space inside old Jerry's Gas Station building, which had been several different concepts over the past few years.
The interior of the building is a small room that's highlighted by exposed brick walls and the light brown wood panels that make up Presta's look. To create more seating, Zimmerman added long wraparound benches that line the sides of the room. In addition to the direct-trade coffees and espresso drinks, Presta will also serve pastries from local baker Houlden's Rise Above.
"It's just been three years in the making, I've been nipping away at it. The parking situation held it up for a couple of years," he said. "I already had the equipment for this space three years ago, so I cycled it into the Mercado (location). I had to buy a whole new cafe again."
He also plans to move his roasting operation to the former upholstery shop a couple doors down. He was previously roasting out of a 6,800-square-foot warehouse on 17th Street, but found it to be too much space when the pandemic hit. The new space will allow him to hold coffee tastings twice a week, when the pandemic is over.
The cafe at 501 E. Ninth St. will be open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day.
