Auburn coffee shop Mama Mocha's Coffee Emporium is opening a second location.
The store will share a building with a new restaurant and bar venture from Auburn-based Wilton's Catering along a strip in downtown Opelika that houses other local businesses like John Emerald Distilling Company and Red Clay Brewing Company.
Holly Daniel, general manager of Mama Mocha's, said the Opelika shop is expected to be open by mid 2017, and is excited to serve a new area and clientele.
There is already a sense of community among the future neighbors, she said.
"We are already close to a lot of the business owners in downtown Opelika, and we only hope to nourish and build on those relationships while growing the area," Daniel said.
While nothing is final, Wilton's Catering owner Chris Wilton indicated that the businesses may collaborate when they move in next year.
"We might be partnering up with the distillery and the brewery down there to maybe service customers that are at tables outside or inside," Wilton said.
He would like to see a shuttle service that would transport riders to and from Auburn.
"We'll be dealing with some really interesting, creative, artisan type folks who are deeply involved with and care about the downtown Opelika business community," Daniel said.
Parking at the coffee shop in Auburn became an issue during the summer, Daniel said. The majority of the spots around the South Gay Street strip, which is owned by Amsterdam Cafe, are reserved for Amsterdam Cafe diners.
As a result, some Mama Mocha's patrons parking in the spots have had their cars towed. But Daniel said the parking shortage was not the driving factor for opening a new location.
"The parking was not the reason for the planning of our new location, but it definitely sped things up a little bit," she said. "Sarah Barnett Gill, the owner of Mama Mocha's, has been planning to open a new location for a long time now."
For now, Mama Mocha’s is hoping to reduce the number of cars towed by converting some of the parking spots in front into 10 minute to-go parking, as well as adding bike racks.
Auburn residents need not be worried about Mama Mocha's leaving for Opelika full-time, Daniel assured that this will not be the case.
"The Auburn location will most definitely stay open," Daniel said. "Business is booming."
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