INDIANAPOLIS — Blue Mind Coffee held its grand opening Saturday at its first location on Indy's north side and was joined by Mayor Joe Hogsett.
The coffee shop opened at 646 E. 38th St., at the Rose building, formerly home to the Indiana Pacer's headquarters.
The grand opening brought out crowds of people waiting in line in anticipation.
Blue Mind Coffee started in the backyard of Sarah and Andy Hassler. The couple have been roasting and distributing coffee wholesale in Indianapolis since 2015. Their garage serves as a fully functional space for coffee roasting.
Now they're first brick and mortar coffee shop lives at 646 E. 38th St., at the Rose building, formerly home to the Indiana Pacer's headquarters.
"This seems like a really good opportunity because there's nothing walkable in this area and there's not a place for people to get coffee here," Sarah said. "We felt like there was a need here."
When the shop isn't busy roasting coffee beans and serving up a hot cup of joe, it will offer resources to the community with the Take What You Need Community Project.
The project asks for donations of toiletry items that are commonly used on a regular basis to be donated to have available at a station in the restrooms of the coffee shop.
The donated items will be available to anyone that enters the shop.
"Anyone in the neighborhood that's walking by is welcomed to stop by and grab something," Sarah said. "We just want to show dignity and kindness to everybody."
Blue Mind Coffee posted a list of items to donate on their Facebook page. They asked the community to bring their donations to the grand opening today.
This project has been developed to be implemented in various coffee shops around Indiana with the goal of creating a safe, dignified and caring environment for neighbors.
"We're really thankful for the support and the encouragement," Andy said. "It means a lot, especially on our first day."
The shop is open Tuesday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m.
