‘Classier’ coffee coming to Waco

Dichotomy Coffee & Spirits is kicking it up a notch, as preparations are being made to move the shop to a newly renovated location just down the street on Austin Avenue.

Dichotomy is currently located at 712 Austin Ave. inside the Croft Art Gallery. In October it will move to 508 Austin Ave., where it will expand its services to being both a coffee bar and a bar that serves adult beverages.

Currently the shop only serves java products. The exact opening date for the new shop has yet to be determined, Dichotomy barista Cody Fergusson said, though he projects it to be mid-October.

The hours of operation have not been set either, Fergusson said, but the shop will be open most hours of the day and night.

The shop will also include some special features that will be revealed on opening day.

“We do have some secrets up our sleeve as far as our coffee bar goes, with certain equipment that’s brand new and will be the only system like this in Texas,” Fergusson said.

Fergusson said new feature coffee items will be released with the opening of the new location.

“It will stay relatively simple — just handcrafted drinks; kind of the way we’ve been doing it,” Fergusson said.

Dichotomy barista Michael Suttle said this might include additional flavored drinks.

“We would like to maybe have one syrup that we actually make in-house,” Suttle said.

Fergusson said the shop will offer food items, which it currently does not. The shop will offer pastries in morning and a small selection of savory foods in afternoon and evening.

The new location will also feature a new rooftop deck with seating that gives a view of the ALICO building, Fergusson said, and it will be the only recreational rooftop deck in downtown Waco.

“Your front view is the historic courthouse,” he said. “It’s a really nice view of the courthouse, especially at sunset. And you’ll also be in the shadow of the ALICO. It’s kind of standing over you, which is really cool.”

Dichotomy today, located in the Croft Art Gallery, features artwork for sale hanging on the walls.

The new location will be different, Fergusson said. It will feature unique chalk art on the walls. Staff are also considering having local artists display their art on the walls, he said.

“There’s definitely an upscale, kind of uptight feel to it, but it’s still very comfortable,” Fergusson said.

Fergusson and Suttle said Dichotomy will have a different ambience than Common Grounds and it will be “classier.”

“It will be definitely a place where people can feel comfortable, whatever you’re doing – studying, schoolwork or business, or just hanging out,” Fergusson said. “We kind of found a medium that really fits a lot of different aspects of people.”

Fergusson said the concept of having a coffee bar and adult beverage bar together is a growing trend.

“There’s quite a few places like this opening up, but we want to do something different as in the level of quality we expect from both sides, and we haven’t seen anywhere yet that has the level of quality on both sides with the attention to detail that we strive for,” Fergusson said.

Pictures of the ongoing development of the new shop are available on Dichotomy’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/DichotomyCoffeeSpirits.