Lutz Coffeehouse Expands, Opens New Shop In Palm Harbor

Megan Hendricks | Tuesday, August 28, 2012

A successful Christian-based coffeehouse in Lutz, a commuter town in Hillsborough County north of Tampa, is making plans for expansion and has opened a second store in Palm Harbor, north of Clearwater in Pinellas County.

With the motto "More Than Just a Coffeehouse,'' Organic Life Coffeehouse offers fresh homemade baked goods, salads and wraps made with organic and locally purchased vegetables, all natural smoothies, and organic fair trade coffee. By day, you'll find a myriad of customers, including business folks conducting one-on-one meetings, people in corners on laptops and moms with their toddlers enjoying a treat. Some evenings live entertainment is added to the mix.

The coffeehouse off of State Road 54 in Lutz has a strong community focus, making it a favored location for group meetings. It was these meetings that sparked the expansion that will include offices and meeting space.

"We have a lot of groups of 10 or 12 people come in, and we don't get a lot of walk-in traffic during that time,'' says Glenn Deller, co-partner and co-owner.

He says he expansion is the result of community partnerships. A storefront a few doors down became vacant, and Deller convinced the children's consignment store next door to move there, making the adjacent space available. A local School of Ministry is financing some of the build out and placing an office in the new space. Local church members are donating time and services.

"We're very happy to be taking care of youth groups, doing community fundraisers, and assisting the community,'' says Deller.

Groups of 10 or more will be able to reserve space for meetings, provided they place a minimum food order while there. The meeting space is scheduled to open in mid-September or early October.

Organic Life's second location is at 35263 U.S. Hwy. 19 N. in Palm Harbor. This was made possible by a financial investment by Deller’s mother and father-in law, Joanne and Larry Davidson, who will be running the second location. Joanne Davidson does a majority of the baking for the current store, and the second location will provide economies of scale for both places. Most of the menu is the same, but the space is smaller with not as much live entertainment.

Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: Glenn Deller, Organic Life Coffeehouse

Read more articles by Megan Hendricks.

A Florida native and longtime Tampa Bay resident, Megan Hendricks graduated from the University of South Florida with a master's degree in business administration. She worked at the USF College of Business and has extensive community experience including the Tampa Bay Partnership's Talent Dividend Advisory Board, Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, Emerge Tampa Bay, Ekhos, and Bar Camp Tampa. She is a former board member and newsletter editor for Creative Tampa Bay. Megan enjoys telling the stories that make Tampa Bay a unique, diverse cultural experience.