5
PSA: The coffee shop in my town used to be a bank vault
Honestly, I was just sitting at my usual spot at The Daily Grind in Cedar Falls, trying to get some work done. I've been going there for like two years, always thought the back wall was just weirdly thick concrete. Ngl, the owner, Mark, was wiping down tables and I asked him about it. He told me the whole building was a bank built in 1923, and my corner table is literally inside the old vault. The door was removed in the 80s, but the frame and the concrete are all original. He said the walls are 18 inches thick. It kind of blew my mind that I've been drinking lattes in a space meant to hold cash for decades. Makes you think about all the history in these old buildings we just turn into cafes. Has anyone else's local spot had a wild past life like that?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
stellanelson1mo ago
Wait, does anyone else's coffee shop have a vault room that still has the old safety deposit boxes built into the wall? My spot in Portland, The Fix, is an old pharmacy from the 1920s. The back booth I always grab sits right where the soda fountain counter used to be. The original tile floor is still there too, all cracked and worn from people standing in line for prescriptions a hundred years ago. I love that kind of stuff, it makes grabbing a coffee feel like you're stepping into a time capsule.
3
theagibson1mo ago
That's actually pretty normal where I'm from. A lot of old buildings get reused. The hardware store downtown used to be a car dealership, and the gym was a movie theater. It's just how towns work, they change over time. I don't really see what's so special about a vault.
2