North Springfield resident wants Hidden Grounds to make an impact 'one cup at a time'

Owner Mackenzie Toomey hopes that Hidden Grounds can make a positive impact in the community, "one cup at a time." The coffee shop is the newest addition to Springfield's Fairbanks Community Hub, 1126 N. Broadway Ave., taking over the space that used to house Kaiju Coffee.

After its March 4 grand opening, the shop will be open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Toomey talked with the News-Leader about community involvement, menu pricing and Hidden Grounds' membership program.

Why open in the Fairbanks Community Hub?

Toomey is a native of north Springfield, growing up and attending school there while her parents worked.

"This is home, the community I got comfortable with. You can walk down the street and pass someone — you're gonna know who they are," Toomey said. "It's the small town feel of Springfield that has changed over time but has been consistent" in north Springfield.

She noted that while south Springfield "feels like it has (coffee shops) every 300 yards," there aren't as many in north Springfield and that crossing Chestnut Expressway or traveling up to Commercial Street can be an extra barrier.

Additionally, being in the Fairbanks just fits with Toomey's lifelong commitment to community involvement. She plans to showcase local artists' work in her shop and to partner with Springfield Community Gardens. Toomey also wants to work with local educators to provide free-to-the-public talks about various topics that offers customers an opportunity for learning.

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What makes the menu special?

No item on Hidden Grounds' menu will be more than $6. As a single mom, Toomey knows the experience of pinching pennies. She doesn't want people to feel like a delicious coffee or smoothie is a luxury.

"A cup of coffee makes you smile. A smoothie makes me smile," Toomey said. "If we can do that at an affordable price, people are going to want it."

Where is the coffee sourced from?

The main coffee Hidden Grounds will use is Equip Coffee from Victory Mission, Toomey said. Equip Coffee is packaged by women in Victory Mission's residential rehabilitation program.

"We're looking at doing other things to highlight other roasters in Springfield but (Equip) is going to be our baseline of coffee," Toomey said.

Are there options other than coffee?

Definitely — Toomey herself says she prefers lemonade, tea and smoothies over coffee and she made sure that was reflected in the menu.

Smoothies will be a year-round offering and in the summer months, the menu will offer lemonades flavored with lavender or ruby red grapefruit. Toomey is hoping to source her lavender from Lavender Falls in Nixa.

Tea and chai tea are also available. Her dad and some Drew Lewis Foundation employees are chai tea fans, which means "I have to make sure the chai tea is on point every time," Toomey said.

More: Here's how an EPA grant will fund paid internships with Springfield Community Gardens

What is the membership program?

Individual memberships are $25 for the month and they can get a free drip coffee every day, as well as discounts on other drinks.

Since the shop is applying for 501(c)(3) status, the memberships are tax-deductible.

Can companies participate in the membership program?

Businesses can purchase five memberships for their employees for $100 with the same benefits, plus a spot on a plaque listing local businesses that supported Hidden Grounds, a mention in their monthly newsletter and an "additional marketing piece with that for those businesses just as a thank you," Toomey said.

She hopes that the companies explore local options like the memberships for rewarding employees.

"Businesses are already perking their employees with gift cards when they meet their sales records or whatever it is within their job, so why aren't they doing it locally and supporting a local business versus buying a $25 Amazon card?" Toomey said.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: What to know about Hidden Grounds, new Springfield coffee shop