Blue Sail Coffee's space on the first floor of the Little Rock Tech Park.
Blue Sail Coffee Roasters of Conway has requested that a remodel of its location inside the Little Rock Technology Park be worked into its next lease.
But that’s not all. It’s also about to own a team of professional cyclists and getting ready to acquire an exclusive coffee from Panama that retails for $12-$15 per cup, owner Kyle Tabor said.
“We want a café that is aligned with the community feel that we have in Conway,” he said about the planned remodel. “It feels very cozy, very communal. We want to match that. … We want elements that feel more like a neighborhood coffee shop as well we want to make a café that is a little more cycling-centric.”
He also said the business is nearly done creating a racing team of eight “high-level amateur cycling athletes from central Arkansas.” The team will be licensed by USA Cycling, and is a “several, several thousand dollar endeavor.”
When it opened, Tabor explained, Blue Sail was “still exploring our identity” but “now we have a really clear picture of what our brand looks like, and we’re just trying to make that more cohesive.”
The shop’s current three-year lease expires next month, Tech Park Executive Director Brent Birch told his board at its regularly scheduled meeting last week.
The proposed remodel includes painting, replacing flooring and installing new fixtures.
Birch said he had requested one quote for the remodel, from Robert Thompson Construction Inc. of North Little Rock. The quote he received was $35,000.
He said Blue Sail wants to replace the shop’s furniture and add a built-in cooler. Tabor said the shop wants to sell more food, too.
He said, with the lease coming up for a renewal, now is good timing for a change.
Birch said the Tech Park would pay for the Blue Sail remodel, then be paid back via a tenant improvement stipulation on Tabor’s lease. He said the current lease is about $2,400 a month, but he and Tabor have not yet discussed renewal terms.
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