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Genuine Joe's open thanks to community
Genuine Joe's, a popular North Austin coffeehouse, is looking for a second home. The current site is set to be torn down next year to make way for luxury condos.
AUSTIN, Texas - A popular north Austin coffee shop that was set to close has been given a second chance thanks to an outpouring of community support.
The letter 'G' at the front of Genuine Joe Coffee House stands for exactly that; genuine. Customers say that's the experience when they come in for their cup of joe.
"I know all of the workers, they know me whenever I come in, like they're so good that they just include you, like in the family of like their environment here," said regular coffee-goer Carlee Abney.
The spot on Anderson Lane opened in 2005 in hopes of creating a community space.
"There's an energy in the community here and it's something really special. I'm overwhelmed every day by just how good it is. It just feels good to be here," said owner Josh Brown.
Here, coffee goers will find a wide variety of dinosaurs, cozy chairs, friendly staff, dedicated locals and, of course, coffee.
Brown says the COVID-19 pandemic was tough on the coffee house like any other business, but the community support got them through it. However, the business still had another challenge ahead.
In 2021, the property was sold to a real estate developer with plans to build 220 luxury condos where Genuine Joe sits.
RELATED COVERAGE: Genuine Joe's to reopen Saturday, plans to move locations
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Genuine Joe's reopening this weekend
Genuine Joe's Coffeehouse is reopening this weekend after previously announcing they were closing for good.
"It's hard when you don't know when your people are depending on this place for their livelihood. The people that work here and you don't have I've never had more than six months sure that I'd be here at any given time," said Brown.
After that, it began looking for places, but Brown says it always ran into roadblocks along the way.
"A lot of it just came down to funds. If a building that you're looking at suddenly needs like a six-figure renovation. And we're making our money. One cup of coffee at a time. You know, we're doing it more for the love of the community, it's hard to come up with a realistic path forward," said Brown.
On Halloween, the business announced its closure after Brown says they hit a cash crunch, but then the community stepped up again.
"Everyone was like, how can I help? I want to help. This is important. I want to help. And it just kept coming together. And then we found a path forward," said Brown.
A GoFundMe from the community has raised nearly $15,000 for a relocation fund to ease the transition as the Genuine Joe family searches for a new location to call home.
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Brown says they are looking to stay in the same community.
The current building is set for demolition in February. Brown says the plan is to get its new doors open as soon as possible to make sure the community isn't without its beloved coffeehouse.
"Wherever they moved to, I will definitely be going," said Abney.
"I'm really excited to see what happens when we're not stressing about where we're going to be in three months. It's going to be amazing," said Brown.
Brown told FOX 7 Austin that an announcement on a new place would come via Instagram.
The Source: Information in this report comes from reporting and interviews by FOX 7 Austin's Jenna King, the GoFundMe for Genuine Joe's and previous reporting by FOX 7 Austin.