One of Auburn students’ favorite coffee shops is welcoming guests on its newly built back porch, which opened last Monday.
The back porch adds additional seating and space for events. Richard and Crystal Tomasello, who opened the coffee shop in 2020, have previously tried to meet foot traffic and add more seating where they could whether it was inside or with additional tables in front of the shop.
They got the idea of adding a back porch a year and a half ago. The idea became a realistic plan when Richard talked to one of the coffee shop’s regulars, Gauge Horton, who owns a local construction company.
The building process started in early January. As far as the design and building process went, Crystal and Richard wanted to keep it simple.
“Richard had an idea of what he wanted, you know, nothing too fancy. We wanted it to have a fan and the benched seating again and then Gauge kind of took it from there,” Crystal said.
The couple wanted to provide a space that could be used yearlong. The back porch is going to offer shade in the summer and will keep guests warm and cozy during the winter.
“We wanted to seat people in the hot and cold months,” Crystal said.
The back porch matches the aesthetics of the front of the store and contributes to the homey vibes that Well Red offers.
Crystal Tomasello explained how the new outside area adds to the concept of the coffee shop.
“I think that it gives you an extra place to be comfortable. It would be like sitting on your own back porch or front porch," Crystal said. "The thing we’re most proud of about Well Red is how quickly our concept has caught on and how much of a welcoming environment that people feel when they come into the shop and they instantly have a connection of this is my home away from home."
Crystal explained that one of their goals in adding the back porch was to give people the opportunity to sit outside when it’s nice out while maintaining the coffee shop’s atmosphere.
“It still feels as comfortable out there as you would anywhere else in the store,” Crystal said.
While the back porch has been welcoming guests since last Monday, it is not completely finished yet. Plastic in between the poles will cover the porch up when it rains and keep the heat in the winter. Furthermore, the wood is going to get stained over the next couple of months.
Crystal said she is looking forward to the next steps.
“We have a couple of things we want to do with it. It will look very nice," Crystal said.
Well Red has received a lot of positive feedback about the back porch so far from the Auburn community and students alike. The updates during the building process on the shop's social media sites got a lot of traffic. Crystal described the personal feedback she got from customers.
“It’s been a buzz during the construction already," Crystal said. "Everybody has absolutely loved it and everyone is so excited about it."
The back porch can be rented out for meetings or events. Crystal explained that they already got a lot of requests and ideas from customers.
“You can really do a lot with it, whether it’s a wedding shower, a birthday, a baby shower, engagement parties, small things like an office party. We’ll definitely rent it out or people can reserve it,” Crystal said.
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