Thu, March 28, 2024

After flooding, Ubora coffee shop reopens to the delight of patrons

Like a business version of the biblical Noah, Ubora Coffee Roasters has gone through a flood and emerged intact on the other side.

Ubora reopened its coffee shop at 1128 Jones St. on Friday, after nearly two months of being closed due to flooding. On May 21, water from a burst pipe poured into the store for about two hours before it was discovered and shut off.

“It flooded like a Tahitian waterfall,” General Manager, Stacy Hix said.

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Initially, Ubora had thought it would be shut down for a week or two, but the water damage was more extensive than first thought, creating longer drying times and more construction work. Delays in materials and parts for some of the affected electronic equipment also played a factor in the longer-than-expected downtime.

Regular patrons began returning to Ubora this week. (Photos by Gary Kauffman)

Hix said the first three days of business have been good and regular customers are returning.

“They’re trickling in little by little,” she said. “Some of them don’t know we’re open yet.”

Customers Happy about Reopening

One regular is Eddie Nestell, a college student, who spent several hours in the shop on Monday morning.

“I’m glad they’re back open,” he said. “This is my go-to place to get things done. I really like the ambiance and the coffee here is really good.”

Shelley Underwood, a consultant with ADP, often works and collaborates with a colleague at Ubora. She was excited about being able to return to the coffee shop.

“I tried some other places while they were closed but they weren’t the same,” she said. “This is such a warm and inviting environment. The environment is everything. They understand what a customer needs and meet that need.”

The area of ceiling repaired after the flooding, just beyond the light fixture, is barely visible.

The repairs included replacing a chunk of the ceiling and some of the wall, but it is barely noticeable. Everything was covered by insurance and Hix credited Mike Ingham of State Farm Insurance for his work in expediting their claims.

“He’s done a lot of work for us and taken extremely good care of us,” she said.

Help to Keep Going During Downtime

Ubora’s roaster wasn’t affected by the flooding, which allowed them to continue roasting coffee beans.

“My staff is very good and they all know that’s our money machine,” Hix said. “They were amazing. The first thing they did was get tarps and tape down the machine. It was covered within 20 minutes.”

Because of that, they maintained their mobile coffee trailer and kept supplies flowing to the businesses that buy coffee from them. That includes nine local locations and five national locations.

Staff managed to keep the roaster dry, which allowed Ubora to continue to supply coffee to its local and national locations.

Ubora kept its employees on the payroll during the two months. They used the downtime to refresh the store with new paint and clean.

“Just because we were slow doesn’t mean their paycheck should suffer,” Hix said. “They were really patient although they got bored. You can only have them clean so much.”

It was also a time for a new collaboration. Ubora had been supplying coffee to Bottom Line Bakery in Evans for about a year, but now Ubora has started selling some of Chef Kelsey Burack’s pastries.

Rooted Coffee in Riverwood Plantation also helped out by purchasing and selling Ubora’s supply of cold brew coffee.

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