It's a busy week for Rochester's new College Town project. Besides the new Constantino's supermarket opening, a Philadelphia based coffee shop chain has opened a store on Mount Hope Avenue.
It's called "Saxbys Coffee,” and it was started in 2005 by entrepreneur Nick Bayer, who says that a number of their 28 cafes are located near colleges and universities.
He says that was just one advantage to being a part of the College Town development.
“We certainly were interested in that it supported the University of Rochester and Strong (Hospital), but I think what really sold us on it is this is in many ways a rebirth of the greater community of Rochester. This is a really big project that much of the community, the greater community of Rochester is excited about as well.”
The Saxbys cafe in Rochester is the second one in New York State. The other store is located near Colgate University.
The Rochester shop employs about 30 people, and Mayor Lovely Warren says she's glad to see any sized business opening up in the city.
“Every job counts, so, I don’t care if it’s a business that’s employing two people or a business that’s employing 100 people, the fact that people are going to work is something that’s very important to us.”
Bayer also is not worried about the nearby competition, such as Starbucks. He says that actually can help his business by bringing more people into the area looking for good coffee.
