The Laclede Coffee Company is working to provide a new outlet for students to get caffeinated this semester. Located at 3722 Laclede Avenue in the University Heights Lofts building adjacent to Humphrey’s and across the street from Saint Louis University’s Village Apartments, the Laclede Coffee Company provides a conveniently located all-in-one coffee shop, convenience store and eatery.

Co-owner Kelly Bruce explains that her parents, owners of the University Heights Lofts building, wanted someone to open a coffee shop and recruited her and her co-owner Eyad Tammas to do just that. With the encouragement of Bruce’s family, she, Tammas and manager Steve Burton decided to set up shop and officially opened for business on Dec. 10.

According to Bruce, the Laclede Coffee Company’s employees are looking to fill a niche in the market by “making the coffee shop experience more convenient and affordable than [their] area competitors,” she said.

The Coffee Company offers a full-service coffee bar, featuring St. Louis-based Wild Horse Creek coffee, as well as a full menu of hot and cold sandwiches, salads made fresh daily and a variety of baked goods, cr?pes and waffles. The Coffee Company also includes a convenience store which SLU senior Kyle Neely, a Coffee Company barista and resident of the University Heights Lofts, said was convenient, and also a good deal less expensive than SLU’s convenience store.

Among other things, the market area carries basic hygienic necessities, a selection of domestic and imported beers and other items unavailable at on-campus convenience stores.

Bruce said she realized that in order to be sustainable, the Coffee Company has to “try to hit a larger market than just the students,” but she also wants to cater to students as much as possible.

The Coffee Compnay is not planning to accept Billiken Bucks at this time, Bruce said, but will be implementing a system of renewable gift cards that she said would mirror that of the Billiken Bucks system.

In addition, Bruce is currently looking for student artwork to feature on the store’s walls, and in the future would like to bring in local acoustic bands. They also offer free Wi-Fi.

According to barista Jason Johnson, the Coffee Company offers a “nice relaxed atmosphere, [where] the people are nice and the raspberry cream-cheese croissant is excellent.”