MONROE, N.C. (QC Life) - The restoration of a historic building in Monroe has brought a family together.
Now they are living the American dream by creating High Octane Coffee Creamery and Eatery.
It’s a place that all families can enjoy. Our Brian Stephenson has the story from Monroe.
This old Sinclair gas station has been restored to it’s original glory. Even Dino the Dino has a fresh coat of green paint.
“I’m a total history geek,” owner Peter Karlan said. “So anything I can do to preserve history. Preserve historic buildings. Preserve a part of downtown Monroe. It’s a part of this town.”
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Karlan enjoys making old things new again. The gas station had been abandoned for 15 years when he bought it. There was water coming through. There were holes in the ceiling.
Once he got the building back in shape, he wasn’t sure what he was going to do with it.
“People speculated is it a museum? What is it? What is going on in the business after it was done.
When family members needed a new start in the US, he knew exactly what this place should be.
“Oscar is my brother-in-law,” Karlan said. “And they were talking about their coffee dream, and it all came together.”
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What came together is nothing short of the American dream. Oscar and his wife, Adriana, are from Columbia. Their careers in Columbia didn’t involved coffee, but rather banking.
They needed a fresh start, so the bankers became baristas and learned everything they could about coffee.
With newfound knowledge and a dream, they moved to Union County.
“These guys spent their life savings on this,” Karlan said. “They basically took everything they owned in Columbia. They sold every stick of furniture. They took every bit of savings and poured it in.”
They are enjoying getting to know their customers here, while still supporting farmers from back home.
“We import all the coffee from Columbia,” Oscar said. “We work with a farmer who grew the coffee, processed the coffee for us.”
And while the coffee is fantastic, so is everything else. From ice cream, to sandwiches and waffles. Their goal to open a place for families so far has been a hit.
“It make us really, really happy,” the couple said. “Very inspiring. You can see now that your goal has come true.”
Related: Dollar Cone set to reopen in Union County this weekend
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