GRAFTON — Grafton residents had to bid farewell to a coffee shop downtown, but will soon be able to welcome a new business that will serve their coffee needs and much more.
Dwight Bode closed NSeven Coffee Company, 1307 Wisconsin Ave., on April 14 after almost six years in business.
"We thank you for all your support through the years, we have made it through some tough times together," according to a letter posted on the door of NSeven. "Unfortunately due to multiple factors, I have made the difficult decision to close NSeven and start a new adventure out west. I am truly grateful for your support over the last six years. You have made a dream of mine come to reality and I will always be grateful for that."
Bode did not respond to New Graphic’s inquiry for further comment.
NSeven (nitrogen’s designation on the periodic table) featured espresso and tea and coffee on tap, infused with nitrogen.
Work has already begun to welcome the new business into the building, and the owner already has ties to Grafton.
Tej Singh, who runs the liquor store The Bottle Shop of Grafton with his family down the road at 1237 12th Ave., is opening BSG Lounge in the former NSeven building. The lounge will continue to serve coffee, baked goods and other items like NSeven, but later in the day will provide patrons craft beers, cocktails and spirits, as well as nonalcoholic beverages.
Singh has wanted to open a tasting space to allow his customers to try the vast selection of drinks at The Bottle Shop.
"I wanted to offer more than just a local takeout store," Singh said. "The vision was always to be different from the traditional liquor store, and give our customers an experience."
However, it would be very difficult to fit his vision in the liquor store, so a couple years ago Singh decided to find a second location to make the lounge a reality.
"This would give us space to not only serve drinks on premise, but also host events," Singh said. "These events would range from fundraisers with local groups, yoga classes, networking events, catering dinners, etc."
A big goal for Singh is to become more involved with the community, whether it’s fundraising for organizations or inviting local businesses to talk about their products.
BSG Lounge is anticipated to be open some time in June and be open from 6 a.m. to midnight every day. Day-to-day operations will be taken care of by General Manager Kirsten Huber.
Singh added that the plan is to cross promote between BSG Lounge and The Bottle Shop, including cross sales and sharing loyalty programs.
Top and above, there will still be some things similar with the layout of BSG Lounge from when it was NSeven. New furniture will be coming in to make it more of a lounge and behind the counter will change a little to serve as a bar area.
