Fairfield train station coffee shop plans to expand
FAIRFIELD — Stanely George’s second train station coffee shop is now open, and his business vision is just gathering steam.
The Wake-Cup-Coffee shop at Fairfield station is now open, joining the original location that opened at the Fairfield Metro station in 2020. George hopes to expand the business from Fairfield to other stops on the New Haven Line, eyeing locations Stamford, Norwalk, Darien, New Haven, West Haven and Stratford.
“Most of the train stations, they only have coffee shops that provide for one guy that makes it a living, not a business,” George said. “But again the coffee that they serve is not what a commuter should have. The most important thing for commuters is to start their day right.”
The downtown shop is smaller than its Fairfield Metro counterpart, with standing room for about four people. But what it loses in space, it gains in proximity, standing atop the southbound side of the train platform steps away from the tracks where passengers climb aboard.
George sees the transit-oriented coffee business as a market with room to grow in Connecticut, and there’s no apparent limit to where he’s willing to go.
“There’s no stop,” he said. “There’s always another train station in New York or wherever.”
The downtown shop will be open from 5:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. and could eventually operate later in the afternoon if George gets state permission for outdoor seating. He said the goal is to give customers a flavorful boost of energy to start their day.
“The moment you get your coffee and something warm and nice and tasty, they smile,” George said. “Their attitude changes.”
Coffee shop staff brews George’s own line of coffee, made from beans imported from farms in Guatemala and Brazil and roasted in Fairfield. The pretzel buns that he uses to make sandwiches are also freshly made each morning.
The shop’s inspiration came from Switzerland, where he saw local vendors selling sandwiches with the same Bavarian pretzel buns along the railroad stations during a vacation in 2019. Working as an emergency room nurse in the Bridgeport Hospital at the time, George began experimenting with a recipe at home. The following year, he opened the Fairfield Metro location — right as COVID-19 cut commuter travel to a fraction of its prepandemic levels.
The shop survived, though, thanks to support from the local community and George’s experience in ... nursing and construction work.
Running a coffee shop isn’t really that different than his previous jobs, George said. Whether he’s applying a construction budget to a house, assessing a patient’s needs or managing the tight confines behind the counter of his downtown shop, he said he embraces hands-on work to execute a plan.
He also enjoys the family aspect of running a small business, he said, with daughters Daniela and Joanna helping out running the shop’s social media and working behind the counter.
“The most important thing of all this, for me it’s family,” he said. “I get to spend a lot of time with the kids, to teach them to be good to people, and someday maybe they’re going to continue.”