PJ’s coffee shop to open in Platte City

In former bank building on Hwy. 92

A national coffee shop chain will soon be opening a location in Platte City.

Josh and Jill Nelson of Platte City will own and operate a PJ’s Coffee in the former BankLiberty/Central Bank building located at Hwy. 92 and Bello Mondo Drive.

Josh said his wife Jill will be owner and face of the operation, which is planned to open in late July at the location, which sits next to the Dairy Queen and not far from the Platte County R-3 School District complex.

Local developer Bill Mann, who owns many commercial properties in Platte City and the area, recently purchased the former bank building. The Nelsons are leasing about 1,400 square feet of the building from Mann for their coffee shop. Mann says he has about 1,200 square feet remaining in the back of the building, including a kitchenette, that can be leased for offices.

Mann says there really won’t be any structural changes to the outside of the building. Changes, of course, are being made to the inside as the coffee shop prepares to open.

“We’ve taken everything out of the inside. It’s ready for them to get going. They’ve got the stuff ordered,” Mann said on Monday.

Reached by phone on Monday, Josh Nelson said: “We’re ready for the equipment to come in and get going. We’re shooting for the last week of July.”

Nelson, who formerly owned the Platte City location of Anytime Fitness and has experience with other franchise operations, said the local PJ’s Coffee will have a drive-through and a seating capacity of about 15-20 indoors and an outdoor seating option with room for 6-8 persons.

Nelson said the operation expects to have 7-9 employees.

Josh said he and Jill explored other coffee shop franchise options, such as Scooter’s and Caribou, but chose PJ’s because “we loved their whole model and they have been unbelievably helpful.”

The Nelsons live in the Lakes of Oakmont subdivision just south of Platte City and have five daughters, the youngest one in high school. By trade, Josh is an electrical contractor and Jill is an ultrasound technician.

PJ’s not only has a wide variety of coffee options but also has pastries, breakfast sandwiches and lunch sandwiches. More information on the PJ’s offerings can be found at pjscoffee.com.

PJ’s will become a third coffee shop option in Platte City, with Bee Creek Café operating downtown on Main Street and a Starbucks operating inside the local Price Chopper store.

There are more than 130 PJ’s Coffee locations in the United States, the vast majority of them in the south and southeast portions of the country.

PJ’s was founded with a single shop in the Carrollton neighborhood of New Orleans in September 1978 by Phyllis Jordan (thus the initials “PJ”), according to the company’s website.

PJ’s spread throughout the greater New Orleans area with company-owned outlets. Its first franchise, in Mandeville, Louisiana, in 1989, was successively followed by franchises in Hammond, Louisiana, and Picayune, Miss. PJ’s then expanded across the Southeast.

According to the website, PJ’s New Orleans Coffee revealed last July its mid-year franchise growth figures approving a minimum of 11 franchise deals that have or would result in 15 different franchise locations. Nine of the 11 latest franchise deals are coming from franchisees in the brand ‘s innovative regions. Those areas include Monahans (Texas), McKinney (Texas), Platte City (Missouri), Columbus (Georgia), Addison (Texas), Orlando (Florida), Columbia (South Carolina), Palmview (Texas), Pensacola (Florida) and Dallas (Texas).

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