Independent Coffee Shop Opens On Sunset Road

(Friday, October 07, 2005) - In a May cover story, CityLife lamented the local dominance of Starbucks and the gradual decline of independent coffee shops. The story pointed out that more than 20 Starbucks locations are expected to open in the valley this year, while really cool places like the Enigma Garden Cafe and Cafe Espresso Roma continue to vanish.

Well, we're happy to report that the balance has shifted ever so slightly. It's A Grind, a franchise store that is independently owned and operated, opened Oct. 2 at 3130 E. Sunset Road (between Eastern Avenue and Pecos Road -- and just down the street from CityLife's office).

"I'm not really worried about Starbucks," said Nadia Benali, who co-owns the coffeehouse with her sister Donia. "I've spoken to a lot of people who are tired of Starbucks and tired of the fact that they are trying to take over the world. People are looking for something different. We're hoping to be that something different."

Nadia and Donia are from Tunisia, Africa. They came to the United States to attend college and graduated from UNLV.

Their coffee shop features the usual It's A Grind menu: coffee drinks, teas and pastries. But they hope to distinguish their location by offering community events, like charity fundraisers, and live music.

"We want to make it into the kind of environment that we would hang out in," said Nadia Benali. "We like to get up in the morning, go to a cool place and just hang out. That's the kind of place we want this to be."

It's A Grind is open Mondays through Fridays from 5:30 a.m.-9 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 6:30 a.m.-9 p.m.

View all It's A Grind Coffee House Press Releases

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