Lucky Ones Coffee isn’t the only Park City-area business planning to expand into the Salt Lake City Public Library System this spring.Hugo Coffee Roasters, known for its delicious java and commitment to social good, plans to open a new location in the Main Library branch on 210 E and 400 S by March 2025. Hugo Coffee started in a kiosk at the Park City Visitor Information Center in 2015, and opened shops in Terminal A of the Salt Lake City International Airport and on the University of Utah campus in the last year.Founder Claudia McMullin said she’s excited to bring her coffee — and a little more — into the heart of downtown Salt Lake City by blending books and brews together for a good cause.Hugo Coffee went through a rigorous application process to be chosen, McMullin said. She purchased Two Creek Coffee House, which has two locations at the U of U, from owner Aneesa Turner over the summer. Then, Turner was hired as the director of retail sales for Hugo Coffee Roasters. Turner submitted a proposal that earned the attention of the public library, which McMullin attributed to the experience and mission of Hugo Coffee. McMullin and Turner learned in late September they beat out eight other companies for the bid.“It was an opportunity that’s right, smack dab in our wheelhouse,” McMullin said. “Our goal is to open two shops, two more Hugos in downtown Salt Lake. The library is going to be one of them, which is great, and we’re still looking for another location.”Hugo Coffee is familiar with operating in a small, kiosk-style environment similar to what it would occupy at the Main Library branch. The coffee shop would take over a space on the ground floor near the library’s atrium and seating area.McMullin prefers the ancillary use as opposed to a standalone brick-and-mortar because it saves money.“Rent can kill a coffee shop,” she said.Lucky Ones Coffee attributed the closure of its Kamas location to an “unexpected lease proposal” including a steep rent hike. Now they’ll open a new coffee shop in the Marmalade branch of the library. Lucky Ones Coffee will keep its Park City Library location open and is looking for a new space in eastern Summit County.McMullin expects the new Hugo Coffee location to have a menu similar to what was offered at Two Creek. She wants to curate events for library visitors, provide healthy breakfast or lunch options to workers in the area and create a “pay it forward” board to help give back to the community. There’s a large unhoused population in downtown Salt Lake City, including a large community near the downtown branch. McMullin plans to hire a mature staff who will participate in sensitivity training.“We want to do things like that. We want to help,” she said. And it all falls in line with the mission of Hugo Coffee. The businesses rebranded in 2018 with an emphasis on supporting nonprofits committed to saving cats and dogs based on McMullin’s background running pet rescues and adoption organizations.McMullin has aspirations of turning Hugo Coffee Roasters into a national brand, but first, she wants to make sure the business succeeds locally.“The last four years taught me it’s better to control your own destiny. It’s been a rough four years, but I’m on the other side. I’m excited and I can breathe again,” McMullin said.Salt Lake Roasting Company closed in the Main Library during the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. The Hemingway Cafe also used to occupy space in the building, but it closed. The Marmalade District branch has not had a coffee shop since before 2020.The post Hugo Coffee joins in plans to expand into the Salt Lake City Public Library system appeared first on Park Record.