Downtown Lexington will soon have another spot to get caffeinated.

Doug Seidenstricker and his wife, Sabrina Trott Seidenstricker, are set to open The Tent Coffee Shop in Lexington’s Old Mill. The couple plan to transition the space at 711 E Main St. Z, where Sabrina currently operates her salon, Studio B, into the new shop, which will focus on gourmet, pour-over coffees and serve prepared foods such as danishes, donuts, bagels and desserts.

Doug said he and Sabrina moved to the area in 2013 to help their friends, John and Kelly Clinger, open the Old Mill Brewpub. The change to a coffee shop for the space was motivated in part by seeking to pursue something more lucrative for their family.

“It’s a tiny little place next to Hazelwood brewery, between Hazelwood brewery and Creekside Restaurant,” he said of the space right under the Old Mill’s iconic smokestack. “And we just decided once they really got close to completion of the Mill Pond and the walkway, we just wanted to try and start something for our family.”

He referred to the restoration of the Old Mill Pond Dam, which was washed out during the historic flood of 2015, and the new walking trail that the town is set to construct around the banks of the soon-to-be-refilled reservoir. The town recently posted that the lighted and paved trail is expected to open in early 2024, at which point it will offer a pedestrian connection between the mill and the neighborhoods around the pond.

That potential for foot traffic, along with Dough’s experience in the restaurant business, has them feeling confident about the potential of the coffee shop.

Doug mentioned that folks who pop into Hazelwood for a beer might also want a coffee and pop on over. He said the shop hopes to eventually install a walk-up window to facilitate quick ordering on the go.

Studio B, which has been at the Mill for 13 years, will still exist, as Sabrina plans to hold onto the healthy wedding business she has built up over the years and find another space for a brick-and-mortar salon in the near future.

The plan is to close down Studio B at the end of October, use November to transition the space, and then softly open The Tent in December ahead of a grand opening in the new year.

Dough noted that in addition to the aforementioned pour-overs they will serve the expected lattes, macchiatos and other coffee drinks, with the beans that go into those drinks likely coming from local Lexington roaster Krafty Koffee, which is helping the Seidenstrickers get The Tent set up.

“We're not trying to compete with O'Hara's or the other little coffee shops or Starbucks, we just want to take it a step further for people wanting coffee to go,” he said of the emphasis on quality and quickness. “But then we'll also have 20-25 seats on the inside for people that want to use our wifi and if they do want to, you know, do some study or, you know, we would have enough space and [could put] some tables together for maybe a little Bible study group.”

That emphasis on their faith is a throughline for the business, as Doug mentioned that their family goes to the Watershed Fellowship church located inside the Old Mill and that they hope to eventually team with local churches to give a percentage of sales to fund mission trips.

“That was part of our mission statement,” Doug said. “And that's something we want to build into sooner than later.”