Hot coffee with a side of green: How Phoenix Coffee on Lee Road paved the way for a sustainable and affordable remodel

Remodeling comes with horror stories: maxed credit cards, schedules months behind, fights with contractors. Now, imagine additional complications: remodel a bustling café using sustainable building practices while serving hundreds of people each day—and saving money at the same time. That’s the challenge locally-owned Phoenix Coffee, 2287 Lee Road, gave itself this winter. The results are a case study in sustainable remodeling success.

Construction historically has been one of the largest polluting industries because of everything from toxic building materials to demolition refuse. The U.S. government estimates that 26 percent of nonindustrial waste in our landfills is due to construction and demolition: over 160 million tons per year. Yet "green" building innovations are often more expensive due to the types of materials and processing involved, which presents a dilemma for small business owners who want to do the right thing, but may simply not being able to afford it.

Phoenix Coffee came up with creative solutions to standard construction practices and supported other local green businesses in its remodeling efforts. Phoenix used low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint and environmentally friendly carpet. Materials were reused and repurposed whenever possible (old science lab cases from John Carroll University, for example, were provided by John Deluca from Old School Salvage). The countertops are made from repurposed wood refinished by Aaron Gogolin from A Piece of Cleveland. Store owner Sarah Wilson-Jones “hired” her mother, Polly Wilson, as the general contractor. Mom stayed on site, sometimes 16 hours a day, to keep costs and schedules in line. “We actually saved money doing sustainable construction," Wilson-Jones says, “because we were thrifty by buying cheaper used and repurposed materials over new. Do the best you can, when you can, with what you’ve got. Greening is a gradual process.”   

A fixture in Cleveland since 1990, now with five cafes, a commercial roastery, and wholesale and catering services, Phoenix Coffee has always supported green business practices. For example, all the spent coffee grounds go to locally-based Sansai Environmental, the largest indoor earthworm vermi-composting facility in the world, where they are turned into rich, organic soil. This summer, Phoenix switches to compostable to-go cups, thus eliminating the food-container equivalent of the gas guzzler (styrofoam). Most of its furniture is from local second-hand stores, which not only improves sustainability but also contributes to the cafe's funky chic style.

Laura Horrocks-Germany is a regular customer, so much so that she’s one of the few honored with the official title of “Phoenix Fellow.” She sat through the remodel and gave plenty of feedback throughout the process. “Phoenix asked customers for their opinions. It’s indicative of Phoenix really listening to their customers' needs," she says. "The new space has a nice flow to it.”

For regulars like Horrocks-Germany, Lee Road Phoenix Coffee isn’t just about coffee, it’s about pulling community together to create a new, and better, sustainable business model to serve Heights residents now and into the future.

Lizzy Caston is a proud Cleveland Heights native who recently returned to live in the Heights after 20 years in Seattle, Portland, OR and New Orleans. A professional writer and communicator, she owns Lizzy Caston Communications (www.lizzycaston.com), and currently works as Phoenix Coffee’s marketing maven.

Phoenix Coffee

2287 Lee Road
Cleveland Hts, OH 44118
(216) 932-8227

www.phoenixcoffee.com

Sources used in the Remodel:

A Piece of Cleveland (salvage materials) 216-254-9295

Webber Flooring 216-662-5370

Civitas Millwork 216-469-4806

Old School Salvage (old science lab cabinets) 216-509-5303

Custom Stainless 216-538-9293

Berea Plumbing 216-961-1777

Buckeye Electrical 440-341-6475