Two Bucks County Coffee spots to heat up 40th Street

Coffee will be in the air this spring on the 40th Street corridor thanks to the opening of new Bucks County Coffee Co. locations. The local coffee chain is expanding in West Philadelphia with two new facilities -- a coffee bar which opened Tuesday in the Schattner Center, and a larger coffeehouse slated to open later this year. The coffee bar was included in the plans for the Dental School's new Schattner Center, which opened in September. The chain closed a former location next to the dental student lounge before winter break. Just as the Bucks County Coffee shop on Sansom Street caters to law school students, the one inside the Schattner Center will serve the dental school community, Bucks County Coffee District Manager Darella Fortson said. So far, according to Fortson, the new coffee bar has gotten a great reaction. "Students are so excited that we're here," Fortson said. "We've gotten a fabulous response." The coffee shop's business has tripled in the three days since its opening, Assistant Manager Leslie Sowell said. Second-year dental student Adam Saylor is impressed with the new location. He described the old one as "tiny and horrible," saying that the new one is a big improvement. The new coffee shop is also changing the social atmosphere of the dental school, providing a place for students to meet, sit and talk. "It gives a lot of life to the new part of the building," Saylor said. The larger coffeehouse, the lease for which was just signed on Dec. 23, is still in the planning phase. Construction should begin in February for an anticipated April opening. It will be located on the corner of 40th and Locust streets and will be marketed to the entire Penn population as well as the West Philadelphia community, Fortson said. It will have a separate entrance with a retail front and plenty of sitting space, making it among the largest of the Bucks County Coffee shops. She said that the company is hoping to get business from The Bridge: Cinema De Lux and the surrounding area. The new facility will "have a terrific impact on 40th Street as a hub where the campus and the community come together," University Marketing Manager for Business Development Anthony Sorrentino said. "There are a lot of people who work and live in that area, and I think that it will be an asset to both of them." The coffeehouse will go beyond the traditional coffee and pastries, serving wraps, sandwiches, soups and desserts. In addition, the large space will be divided into several different areas, including a computer center with space for laptops, a fireplace, sofas and outdoor sitting space, said Bucks County Coffee President Rodger Owen. Owen also hopes to have live music events. Owen said the location is pivotal because "that area is a focal point of the whole Penn community." Fortson said she hopes that the coffeehouse will be a place where students can sit and relax. "We want it to be a place that's fun, a great place to hang out," she said. "We want Bucks County to be the place to go." Sorrentino and Bucks County representatives are not worried about business competition from the other coffee retailers around campus. Sorrentino said he believes that there is enough market for coffee to go around. Cosi Assistant Manager Eddie Barksdale agreed, saying that he does not expect a decline in business for the competing coffee house located on 36th Street. "We've been here a long time and have a good customer base," Barksdale said.

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