Stonebridge Coffee, a coffee shop that will present local artwork, will open on Pond Springs Road by the fall.
“The whole idea of Stonebridge Coffee is to be for the community, by the community,” owner Justin Forgey said. “I want people to know that Stonebridge is being put together for the community so they have a place to get local coffee, local art, and have a local hang out.”
Forgey’s reason for opening Stonebridge Coffee goes back to when he was where teens are now: studying in high school.
“When I was in high school and college, I found it difficult to study at my house or in a library, so I would spend hours studying in coffee shops all over Austin,” Forgey said. “I found that as I was getting my work done, I was also exposed to the arts both visual and performing and was fascinated by the atmosphere that only a local coffee shop can provide.”
Ever since Forgey and his wife moved to North Austin five years ago, they have been waiting for a local coffee shop like the one from Forgey’s past to open.
“We are tired of waiting,” Forgey said. “We decided to do it ourselves. After talking to the Student Leadership class at McNeil, I found out that there is no place for students to have the experiences I had to look forward to every day. So that clinched it for me. Stonebridge is coming.”
Forgey plans for Stonebridge Coffee to serve both McNeil High School and Westwood High School as well as close-by neighborhoods. When the shop opens, students will be able to display their artwork to the community.
“I was an art major in college and always tried to find local spots to display work and show the city what art was coming out of my school,” Forgey said. “With Stonebridge, we plan to give students who want to showcase their talents a place to do that, be it visual art or performing art. We want the walls to represent the community and our stage to do so as well.”
Forgey and his wife have a deep purpose and passion for Stonebridge Coffee, which will make the shop different from any other coffee shop around. They care about art, expressing oneself and creating a close community.
“We want to support our community while they support us,” Forgey said. “Stonebridge will be of the community, by the community.”
For more information on Stonebridge Coffee go to http://stonebridgecoffee.com/
