Pressed Coffee Bar Opens in Poland Library
By Nami Nagaoka
POLAND, Ohio – Every other week, Kim Crozier of Mineral Ridge goes to Pressed Coffee Bar & Eatery downtown because she likes supporting the locally owned business and enjoys its fresh, more healthful options.
But with the opening of Pressed in the Poland branch of The Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, “this is my new favorite,” she said.
“I’ll also frequent the other too,” she said. “It’s great food, great ownership. I’m happy for the people and they always make you feel welcome.”
On Thursday, Pressed celebrated its grand opening at the Poland branch of the library, though it’s been open since October. It is the second location for the coffee bar. The first opened in 2015 at 215 Lincoln Ave. near the campus of Youngstown State University.
“We had such a welcome reception from everybody in the beginning, so we decided to look for a second space,” said Frank Tuscano, co-owner of Pressed Coffee Bar. “This seemed like a natural gravitation from our current customer base. This space was available and I think the library was a good fit for us.”
Pressed features a full espresso bar with a selection of specialty coffees, as well as teas and smoothies. It offers breakfast all day, along with pastries, lunch and dinner items.
“Frittatas are a big part of our menu. Paninis, wraps,” he said.
Investment to open the second location was in the neighborhood of $150,000 to $200,000 because he was moving into an existing space, “where you don’t have to do everything from zero,” he said. A build-out from scratch would cost $250,000 or more.
Working with the library made the transition smooth too, he added.
“They have been great,” he said. “The contractors met our deadlines because we flipped this space pretty quickly.”
Compared to the first location, opening the second was “night and day,” he added. “It was definitely easier to open the second. You have all the processes in place now.”
Since Pressed opened in the library, Executive Director Aimee Fifarek said she has seen regular library patrons taking advantage of the cafe, as well as business people having meetings there. It’s much different from the more common sight of patrons bringing their own snacks while reading books.
“We are so pleased to have Pressed in place,” Fifarek said. “It was definitely a collaborative effort and we both invested in that process.”
Most of the other library branches have cafes, she said, but added she would love to partner with Pressed again in any future opportunities.
Downtown, business at Pressed is good and Tuscano said he continues to offer new items as well as hand-picked coffees. Keeping everything made fresh daily is a challenge, he admits, as is handling the crowds of people in Youngstown.
“Oftentimes, the line goes to the door and out the door,” he said. “Sometimes there’s no seats, and we have two floors of seating. So it’s very, very busy.
“It’s a good problem to have,” he added.
Pressed in Poland is open Monday through Friday 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The downtown location is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekends.
Pictured: On hand for the ribbon-cutting of Pressed Coffee Bar & Eatery were Megan Shaw, general manager; Amy and Frank Tuscano, co-owner; Pamela VonBergen, co-owner; and Aimee Fifarek, executive director, The Public Library of Youngstown & Mahoning County.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
