Baldwin Park's last coffee shop isn't one

Eight days after Baldwin Park’s Barnie’s Coffee & Tea announced it’d be brewing its last pot July 28, the owner of neighboring Planet Smoothie brewed a plan of his own – bringing in Joffrey’s Coffee to his location to keep the caffeine flowing in the Village Center.

As Barnie’s closed up shop last week, Planet Smoothie launched a partnership with Joffrey’s Coffee adding iced and hot coffee – and free Wi-Fi – to its in-store blended cup offerings. Planet Smoothie owner Adam Bermudez said he saw an opportunity in the void left by Barnie’s that he hopes his new expanded services – branded as “Atom’s Coffee House” – will fill.

“I checked and there were no other plans to fill the void, so I got a plan of action and looked into bringing in coffee on my own,” Bermudez said.

Last week, his location offered free Joffrey’s Coffee to all customers to introduce neighbors to the new brew. This week will include sales of coffee, along with muffins and scones brought in from Audubon Park’s Blue Bird Bake Shop. Customers can also expect full-service espresso offerings in the coming months.

Nicole Pickering, commercial tenant services coordinator for McKinley Properties which manages retail properties in the Village Center, said there’s currently no other back-up solution for Baldwin Park’s breakfast-service void, but that negotiations for a new tenant to fill Barnie’s old home are already under way.