New downtown Batavia coffee shop opens

Kendall Ertz wants residents to come into her new shop to drink the coffee.

And hopefully, meet with friends, attend a poetry reading and sing in an Open Mic Night.

"We want to be more of the hangout spot," said Ertz, who along with her mother, Maureen Mares, opened Limestone Coffee & Tea in Batavia last week.

The business at 15 E. Wilson St. will feature tea and coffee drinks, an espresso bar, blended drinks, bakery items and sweets.

Ertz, of Plano, and Mares, of Downers Grove, had been talking about going into business for a while.

Batavia was the kind of "laid-back, up-and-coming" area they were looking for, Ertz said.

In addition to having coffee and tea drinks for sale, loose tea and coffee beans will be available to buy.

The shop has an extra room for people holding meetings. She hopes it becomes a place where people come to visit, see performances and look at local art.

It was originally scheduled to open this spring, but that was pushed back because of some issues getting the shop ready to open.

Business in the first week has been good, despite the nearby bridge closures, Ertz said.

The shop's hours are 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Ertz said the hours will probably expand to Thursday through Saturday nights. The duo is thinking of applying for a liquor license to sell coffee-based alcoholic drinks on weekend nights.