Pascal’s Coffeehouse reopens after summer repairs

Pascal’s Coffeehouse is serving the same coffee but with a new look.

Pascal's, a coffee shop and Christian study center at 112 NW 16th St., hosted a grand reopening event Friday night to showcase the repairs that were made from donations and a grant program, said Laura Lynch, a 59-year-old Gainesville resident and director of development of Christian studies at Pascal’s.

Pascal's had been renovating its building for the past 15 months, but in May the shop closed for the summer to repair the bathrooms, replace rotten wood, paint the building, replace carpeting, add a bar table for students to study on the balcony and make a larger parking lot, Lynch said. The coffeehouse reopened Aug. 20.

The bathrooms had an odor, and the source of the smell wasn’t found until the wall was taken down, Lynch said. The landscape was also redone and space for bicycles and scooters was added.

Private donors raised $105,000, and a grant from the Community Redevelopment Agency’s façade program brought in another $20,000, which helped pay for the renovations on the 27-year-old house, Lynch said. In total, repairs cost $125,000.

“I’m very excited and glad to accomplish the work we raised to be able to have the extra money,” Lynch said.

No more than $800 was spent putting the reopening event together. About 50 people came. Guests were provided free food, and they sampled brands of drip coffee from Bold Bean and Ceremony coffee roasters.

Standing up in front of the event crowd, Richard Horner, the executive director of the Christian study house, made a speech thanking everyone for their hard work in the renovation process.

“I’m thrilled and delighted to have them done and pleased with the outcome,” Horner said.

“Kate Smith, a 33-year-old Gainesville resident, board member of the Christian Study Center and UF College of Pharmacy faculty member, said she comes to Pascal's Coffeehouse several times a month to do her work.” She said the renovations will bring in more people.

“It’s amazing,” Smith said. “It makes it more welcoming and it increases the number of people to study here.”

Editor's note: This story was corrected to reflect Kate Smith's age and positions at the Christian Study Center and UF College of Pharmacy.

 

Students crowd Pascal’s Coffeehouse on Dec. 8, 2015. Juan Alcala, the study center’s manager, said students always bring more business during finals week.