Sacred Grounds Coffee now open in Bradenton

Colleague Kathryn Moschella swung by Sacred Grounds Coffee recently to see the new place now that the non-profit coffee house is open in Braden River Plaza.

Here's a guest post by Kathryn for a little insight on Sacred Grounds:

Sacred Grounds Coffee is located in the Braden River
Plaza in Bradenton off of SR 64. 

The coffee is high-end Italian, the atmosphere is relaxing, and if the motto lives up to its name, visitors to the Sacred Grounds Coffee House in East Manatee will experience more than just coffee.

Owned by a reverend and his wife, Bruce and Renee McEwen, who moved to Bradenton four years ago to take care of a small church, Sacred Grounds, located in the Braden River Plaza on State Road 64, is intent on becoming a community gathering place as well as the best place to get cold frappes on a hot Florida day.

“We’re more than just selling coffee. The community is what it’s all about and building relationships with people. If it can support itself doing that, that would be great. We want it  to be an outreach place for the community,” said Bruce McEwen, who hopes to build a new church eventually to replace the six-member Palmetto Church of the Nazarene that closed at the beginning of the year.

The coffee house, situated in what was once a former dry cleaner, has been totally transformed into a relaxing and hip location, with soft colored walls, comfortable chairs, tables, a fully-stocked barista bar, and a back room with board games, WiFi connection, and an acoustic setup for musical performances, open mic nights and karaoke. There’s also an outside courtyard for lounging and sipping coffee when the weather is cooler in the early morning and the late evening before the coffee house closes.

 Along with the coffee, if the conversation turns spiritual, which the name implies, the McEwens say that’s okay and they’ll embrace it.

“Our name is just a little hint, but we are a Christian-based coffee house. Having a foundation in a Christian life doesn’t restrict you to only Christian things, but we’re coming from a good place in my opinion,” said McEwen’s grandson, Tylor Stell, who is helping manage the coffee house while going to college locally.

Sacred Grounds is open Monday through Saturday from 7:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. and there’s plenty of parking in the surrounding strip mall. The different types of hot and cold coffees, tea, smoothies, juices, and desserts that Sacred Grounds offers are available on their new Web site, sgcoffeehouse.com.

Contributed by Kathryn Moschella, Lakewood Ranch reporter.