ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The rumors are true: Nowhere is going somewhere in downtown Allentown.
Lauren and Juan Vargas, owners of Nowhere Coffee Co., expect their latest business venture — a roastery and coffee bar in the heart of the city — to be operational very soon, they confirmed Wednesday.
The couple went under contract on a building Tuesday, but won’t disclose the location just yet. They say it’s important the owners of the longtime business vacating the property have the chance to tell the public how their story will end.
“The best part is that we got everyone in a room. These people seemed to want to have conversations and communications and it just evolved from there.”Nowhere Coffee Co.'s Lauren Vargas
“They’ve been in the same spot for 30 years, so it’s really important to honor their legacy,” Lauren Vargas said.
What the Vargases will confirm is that the third iteration of Nowhere — their flagship location is in South Whitehall Township, with a second location in Emmaus — happened quickly thanks to the efforts of Allentown’s Business Development Office.
“They reached out to us immediately and said, ‘We can help you look at properties. Let’s schedule a meeting. Come on down,’” Lauren Vargas said.
“The best part is that we got everyone in a room. These people seemed to want to have conversations and communications and it just evolved from there.”
'An up and down couple of months'
Expanding the Nowhere roots “near the PPL Building, in an area the city is branding ‘Hamilton West,” is the latest development for the Vargases in what has been an “up and down couple of months.”
On Jan. 12, they hosted President Joe Biden and a number of state and local dignitaries at their cafe in Emmaus. But a month later, they were forced to temporarily close the location following roof leaks that damaged critical equipment.
They said the loss of the espresso machines topped $20,000, while the three grinders lost were $2,000 each.
And while the insurance came through immediately, they said they still are non-operational because their landlord, Chad Balliet, waited 12 days to have the damage evaluated and remediation efforts started.
“Our goal is that we want to stay open in Emmaus. We have another three years on our lease and another five years of options after that. We’re not going anywhere.”Nowhere Coffee Co.'s Lauren Vargas
“We’re at the point where we’re making the most basic ask in the entire history of asks,” Juan Vargas said. “We are literally getting information that they — Balliet and the borough health inspector — have already decided by themselves and are not communicating in writing as to what is actually happening.”
LehighValleyNews.com has reached out to the borough manager, health inspector, and Balliet — the Emmaus Borough Council president — for response. He’s also the owner of South Mountain Cycle, which shares the building with Nowhere Coffee Co.
Wednesday afternoon, Balliet said he didn't wish to comment and the issue was between the parties involved.
“Our goal is that we want to stay open in Emmaus,” Lauren Vargas said. “We have another three years on our lease and another five years of options after that. We’re not going anywhere.”
Roastery was planned for Upper Macungie
In early February, the Vargases were denied a permit for the business’ planned roastery at 1115 Trexlertown Road in Upper Macungie.
The couple said they already had signed a lease on the property and bought a $50,000 roaster before the denial was made.
The township determined that the roastery was classified under “manufactur[ing] and/or bulk processing” of food products, which is not allowed in the Neighborhood Commercial zoning district of the property.
The Vargases decided to abandon plans to open in the area, frustrated by what they said was a system not set up for small business owners.
Now, Nowhere Coffee Co. will head to Allentown looking to offer a roastery and coffee bar, along with poetry and jazz, with an opening date to-be-announced.
