Biz Buzz: Local couple opens coffee and bracelet shop in Rigby

Do you want to know what’s happening in the eastern Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered. Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.

BIZ BUZZ

RIGBY

New coffee shop in Rigby a big hit with customers, owner says

RIGBY – Over the last several years, one of the most frequent requests among people living in Rigby is for a place to get a cup of coffee. That request has now been granted.

Angela Sayer and her boyfriend, James Ivie, opened The Rocky Bean on May 21 in the 1,200-square-foot space formerly occupied by Cafe Catalina’s at 255 Farnsworth Way.

RELATED | New coffee shop and breakfast restaurant opening in Rigby this month

Despite opening without fanfare, Sayer tells EastIdahoNews.com customers are responding vigorously.

“It’s all been going pretty well. Everybody seems happy that we’re there,” Sayer says.

She’d like to have a grand opening later this summer with a barbecue and other activities for the community.

The menu at The Rocky Bean includes the full spectrum of coffee varieties, including hot, iced and blended coffees, along with cold brew and white coffee.

“White coffee is not roasted as long, so it doesn’t have that dark color like a regular coffee bean. The taste is also a bit different. It’s a lot more nutty,” says Sayer. “It might be something for people to try if they’re not a huge fan of the regular coffee taste.”

The menu also includes lemonade, tea, Italian soda and smoothies and a selection of muffins, scones, cookies, Rice Krispie treats and protein bars. Sayer says the most popular item so far is the Idaho Amethyst, a huckleberry white chocolate mocha pictured above.

Sayer also makes gemstone bracelets with crystals and rocks believed to have natural healing properties. She offers a selection of those in her store as well.

“When you buy a coffee, you’re able to get one of our tumbles (a small felt bag of rocks) for $1 (normally $3) to help (introduce) you to our gemstones and their healing properties,” says Sayer.

Sayer used to work as a barista at Starbucks in Idaho Falls more than a decade ago. Interacting with and serving customers was her favorite part of the job. Several years later, she got a job at a medical office in Idaho Falls, where she worked for about nine years. She recently hurt her back while working there.

About a year ago, she started looking for something else that wasn’t as hard on her body, and she started making bracelets out of her home in Rigby. Through it all, she’d often look back on her old job as a barista with fondness.

“I always told James it was my most favorite job,” she says.

She knew there was a lot of demand in Rigby for a coffee shop and decided to open one and combine it with her bracelet business to offer “coffee, crystals and good day vibes!”

“We’ve combined two things that we love,” Sayer says. “Our friend is a local artist and she does the paintings that are displayed in there as well. Everybody likes to come in … and look at (everything) while they wait. It’s worked out well.”

One of the things she liked about this location, in particular, was the drive-thru on the south side of the building. It’s not something that a lot of people know about, but she says it’s been helpful in gaining new customers.

“The people that (know about it) utilize it so much,” Sayer says. “People traveling to Yellowstone Google ‘coffee,’ pull off the highway and come and find us.”

Sayer says they’re really busy right now and they’re happy to be up and running. If all goes well, they’re considering opening another location somewhere in eastern Idaho.

The Rocky Bean is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sayer is planning to open on Sunday in the near future.

Visit the website or Facebook page for more information.

BIZ BITS

Conference Center at Mountain America Center now has a sponsor

IDAHO FALLS – Blue Cross of Idaho announced Wednesday it signed the naming sponsorship of the new conference center at the Mountain America Center. The new Blue Cross of Idaho Conference Center, which broke ground on May 18, is set to be complete in September 2022.

The venue is about 48,000-square-feet and will hold up to 5,500 spectators for concerts, high school sports tournaments and a new Idaho Falls junior hockey team.

RELATED | It’s finally happening — Construction officially begins on new event center in Idaho Falls

Blue Cross of Idaho is also the title sponsor for the “Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce Liberty on Parade Independence Day Parade” this year.

Local medical clinic sponsoring community fundraiser and here’s how you can help

IDAHO FALLS – Nuclear Care Partners, an organization that provides benefits guidance and in-home care to former atomic workers, is helping sponsor this year’s Empty Bowls Fundraiser, a dinner that aims to help feed hungry seniors in Idaho Falls.

The Empty Bowls fundraiser dinner will take place on Thursday, Oct. 14, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend and buy a bowl to help fill someone else’s. The fundraiser dinner will also feature a raffle for various donated prizes and gift baskets.

Community members are invited to help paint the bowls at Possibly Picasso at 351 West Broadway Street in Idaho Falls now through September 20 or until the supply is finished. The cost is $3. Local artists are also invited to donate any bowls they have made. Contact Nuclear Care Partners at (208) 932-8170 for more information.

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