Brew Ha-Ha! owner Gabby Loubiere jokes how the shop’s expanded seating and kitchen area seemed to appear overnight.
The coffee shop, known for its addictive cake balls, recently added an additional 1,200 square feet to its Goodwood Shopping Center footprint by taking over the space next door. The addition allows more seating for its customers and also creates three times the kitchen space in the back, helping with the breakfast, brunch and lunch demand.
Loubiere says she obtained the space in January and renovated through February. The final step was breaking down the wall to connect the spaces, which gave the impression of an overnight renovation, she says. It officially opened the expansion at the end of February.
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Only about a month in, Brew Ha-Ha! is already seeing a pick up in business, Loubiere says. The shop has served breakfast and brunch for the past two years, and lunch for the past four, but she says promotion wasn’t a huge priority with such limited space.
Now, Loubiere sees the addition offering more dining space and more intimate areas for studying, dates or even community meetings.
“Brew Ha-Ha! is going to continue to do what it can for the community,” she says about offering the space up to community groups who need a place to gather.
The new area contains a vinyl record player from Atomic Pop Shop. Customers can choose a record from the Brew Ha-Ha! selection or donate a record of their own to listen to. Local artists’ works are displayed on the walls.
Brew Ha-Ha! also updated its outdoor sign, a 25-foot banner painted by artist TJ Black, which will soon have lights on it.
And there’s more in the works. By August, Brew Ha-Ha! plans to begin roasting its own coffee beans.
Since opening in 2004, Loubiere says she always wanted to roast her own beans, but she had to put it on the back burner for business reasons. This year, she says, is the year that Brew Ha-Ha! Roasting Company will launch.
The roasting area will be housed in the front of the new addition, so patrons can see the action up close and from the windows outside.
In the meantime, the shop will continue to serve Community Coffee, but the in-house brewing will offer customers specialty or flavor blends. Loubiere says she also plans to sell their own packaged beans or ground coffee for customers to purchase by the pound. The shop is also considering distribution into some local stores and restaurants.
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Loubiere is planning to source beans from Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Colombia and Guatemala—based on which beans are most in season. She says the price range will also vary depending on the bean but wants to keep prices reasonable for customers.
“It’s been 13 years, but I never want to be stagnant,” she says. “I never want to get stale. I never want to get too comfortable. You [have to] keep it fresh so people stay interested in what you’re doing, and just be welcoming and a fun place for people to come hang out.”
Brew Ha-Ha! is at 711 Jefferson Highway, Suite 2-A, and open Monday-Sunday, 6:30 a.m.-9 p.m.