Urban Standard reopens following January fire, repairs

For the first time in months, Urban Standard had people waiting outside its door. The coffee house on 2nd Avenue North reopened on April 26, following several months of repairs.

Urban Standard temporarily closed its doors in January, following a fire that broke out in the store’s kitchen. The fire took place Jan. 5 around 4 a.m., and while no one was injured, there was extensive damage in the kitchen and the café was covered with ash and soot that was spread by the HVAC.

The repairs took longer than expected, said General Manager Trevor Newberry, but the time allowed for introspection and to make sure everything was in order before their doors reopened.

“We wanted to get back to market because obviously there were people clamoring, but we also didn’t want to just throw it in there and [be] off to the races without making sure we had done due diligence,” Newberry said.

When they first closed, Newberry said he knew owner Tom Wrzesien had a good insurance policy and was not concerned about their ability to rebuild. The concern, however, was being taken out of people’s routine.

“Personally, I had two immediate fears when this happened. … I was worried about keeping our employees and keeping our regulars,” Newberry said. “Because, especially with this early morning stuff, people get into habits, people get into rituals, and I was afraid that would be replaced in that time.”

Carrie Rollwagen, who said she would describe herself as a “regular anywhere that sells coffee,” said she was initially concerned Urban Standard would not reopen. When places have good insurance policy, they would sometimes close their doors, taking the insurance money rather than reopen, if business isn’t going well. The fact that Urban Standard rebuilt and reopened, she said, is an indication its business was going well.

“This morning was really just to show support and that I’m excited they’re back,” said Rollwagen, who was outside the door before 7 a.m.

Sometimes when businesses reopen, they will have implemented changes or seem different, Rollwagen said, but that wasn’t the case with Urban Standard.

“It feels very familiar, in a good way,” she said, “so I’m very thankful to the owners and staff for hanging in there.”

When Urban Standard was closed, Rollwagen said she realized “how much we were taking it for granted.” The shop’s large space, ample seating, along with good coffee, a good staff and good food, are not duplicated elsewhere, she said.

“There’s nowhere else that has all those pieces,” Rollwagen said, adding that Urban Standard is a spot where she knows the staff will always greet you with a smile and ask how your day is going.

“Most people I know would agree that our staff is a large part of what makes Urban Standard run,” Newberry said. That was one of the reasons it was so important to retain their employees despite the temporary closure, he said.

During the months they were closed, the community rallied around and supported Urban Standard and its employees. Chad Fisher, a musician in St. Paul and the Broken Bones, started a GoFundMe page to help supplement what insurance would provide for employees. While insurance would cover hourly wages for the staff, the GoFundMe campaign said, most hourly workers in the service industry make as much as 50 percent of their earnings through tips, which would not be covered.

The campaign raised $6,010 over the course of two months.

“The community made sure we could keep our employees,” Newberry said, adding that while two staff members are leaving to go to grad school, they have not lost any staff due to the circumstances of the fire.

Other local coffee shops, including Lucy’s Coffee and Tea and Crestwood Coffee, also helped support employees in the interim, Newberry said.

“We just really could not thank the community enough. It made all the difference in the world,” he said.

And while having people waiting outside the door before they open at 7 a.m. was a normal thing before the fire, Newberry said it was good to get back in the swing of things this morning.

“The space that we had to breathe a little bit, to reflect a little bit, I feel like it’s given everybody a little more investment in the business,” Newberry said. “And not just in the business … just the ethos of the place and thinking more about what it meant to the community. As far as this morning, we’re just happy to be back doing it.”