Coffee house to open May 15
By Nathan Straus News Reporter

Nathan Straus Photo Located near the Chandler Library on HWY-31, Stone Brothers Coffee will hold its Grand Opening May 15, 2008.

After holiday delays, Stone Brother's Coffee is set for a May 15 grand opening. The shop was originally intended to open in winter of 2007, but an issue with the American Disabilities Act kept the building from going up.

Carey Crist, owner of Crist Developments and co-founder of Cri-Dun, said though the shop's opening was originally in November, 2007, a May opening looks to be a sure thing.

"We're set to open May 15," Crist said. "We'll probably have an invite night a few days earlier."

Crist also said the shop will be ready as early as May 1, but added he would like extra time to train coffee shop personnel.

"I want those few extra weeks for training," Crist said.

The initial construction ran into problems when the American Disabilities Act signaled changed laws in 2007. Crist said he was not aware of the changed laws, which required the submission of the coffee shop plans to the state for review.

"This caused quite a delay, but I think it was a good thing," Crist said. "We missed the holiday dates, but we didn't want to go in too fast. We added things that weren't in the original plan, so the shop will be bigger than intended. "

Additions to the coffee shop range from daily upkeep enhancements such as a new storage room and larger bath- rooms to much needed add-ons like a handicap table.

"One of the things we're going to have that we weren't going to have before is a table for those with disabilities. These are things we hadn't given much thought to before," Crist said.

Stone Brother's Coffee, Crist said, is going to be not only the newest building in Chandler on its construction, but the first new-built business building in six or seven years.

Up to eight employees will be hired to staff the shop at different shifts. More than coffee and breakfast will be sold at Stone Brother's; in addition to specialty drinks, lunch items such as wraps, sandwiches and paninis will be available.

The grand opening on May 15 will be a sort of celebration where free items will be given away, Crist said. The opening a few days prior will be an invitation only event where invited guests will offer feedback and a chance for the shop to go through a test run.

The shop will feature free internet access. The coffee roaster selected was the Chandler based company Coffee City USA.