Business

New coffeehouse opens in Richfield

RICHFIELD -- When Jaysen Sheeler broached the subject of opening a coffee shop in the old Geisinger medical office in Richfield, his father, Brian, wasn't crazy about the idea. Brian didn't want to shatter the teenager's dream but offered a scenario that seemed unlikely.

"It was a used car lot at the time," Brian said, referring to the old Richfield Field Mill location, which was owned by Gregory Beck. "I told him if there's ever a for sale in the window, I will buy it."

Brian was sold on the coffee shop idea, but not on the location. "To me, it was just a house," he noted about the old medical office.

Six months later, Brian drove by the location and was astonished to see a sign in the window that read, "For Sale." Of course, when Jaysen came home from school, he raced into the house to tell dear old dad.

"It was not even two days later, when he (Jaysen) saw it," Brian said. "I knew he would remember, and he was like, 'Did you see what's up in the window?'"

When Brian heard the old Richfield Feed Mill was for sale, he felt that spot had more potential. Turnpaugh Health and Wellness Center, based in Mechanicsburg, is expected to open their fourth location in the adjoining building.

"We went under contract to purchase the building in May and we worked all summer getting it ready," Brian said, who owns the business with Jaysen and his other son, Brandon.

Old Mill Coffeehouse, located at 14264 Route 35, Richfield, opened its doors in October. Despite installing a kitchen and a counter area, most of the mill's original interior remains. "Ninety percent of it is original," Brian said. "Some people are amazed at how much of it is left when they come in."

The coffee shop is located in the original feed mill building. Brian hopes to eventually add more seating and a conference room on the second level.

"We have people that come in for an hour or two, and some that are here all day," Brian said. "We're very busy. We just made T-shirts that say, "Old Mill Coffeehouse" and "Come for Breakfast, Stay for Lunch!"

Their drive-thru window just opened, which they will expand to include a kiosk for ordering in the spring.

Their menu includes coffee, expresso, teas and smoothies, along with drink specials, baked goods such as cookies, cupcakes and sticky buns and specialty items like baked oatmeal. They also sell Hershey's Ice Cream and Reedsville Creamery products including ice cream, milk and yogurt.

There are also menu items for breakfast and lunch. They also sell eight different salads and have a "Kids Korner" menu.

"We try to offer unique things all the time," Brian said, "and we're always adding new things."

A lot of the menu items used feed mill terminology, such as the mill scramble and bag stacker, which are made with eggs and offered for breakfast.

There's also the Feed Bag Club sandwich and Hot Clucker buffalo chicken wrap on the lunch menu. There's also the Hogwild on their sandwich menu, which consists of ham, sausage, bacon, egg and cheese.

They just unveiled their Valentine's specials.

The coffee shop's social media pages are flooded with positive feedback and reviews and celebrity guests, a few politicians, have become commonplace.

Since their first Facebook post, the coffee shop has developed quite a following, especially on social media. They have garnered 1,900 followers and 1,500 likes since creating their page on July 4.

Their hours are 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call (717) 694-3292 or visit their website, oldmillcoffeehouse.com, or Facebook page.