Coffee stop changes name, faces

The little coffee shop at 405 West Second Street in The Dalles is now under new ownership and serving white coffee, a drinkthat is growing in popularity along the West Coast.

Sandra and Larry Brown purchased what was previously The Cup of Mud owned by Nola Fraser in May. They changed the name to Browns Grounds.

The name Browns Grounds fits the coffee shop because the business is a family affair.

Mr. and Mrs. Brown work alongside Sandy Brown’s daughter, Tiffany Brown, and Larry Brown’s daughter, Heather (Brown) Taylor.

Larry is a retired Marine. His daughter describes him as “One of those people who worked for everything he got. He joined the Marines at 16 and became a chief engineer on a Marine cargo ship.”

According to Sandra, it was Larry Brown’s idea to buy the coffee shop.

“He just walked in, and asked Fraser if the shop was for sale,” said Sandra.

Fraser had been wanting to sell the business for a while, but hadn’t put the word out.

“No one else knew she wanted to sell it. It was just perfect timing,” said Sandra.

She and her husand had been retired for several years but decided “it was time for us to go back to work.”

They kept the same shack, supplies, and menu with one important distinction — they lowered the prices.

The prices had gone up just before the Browns purchased the shop, but they brought them back down to where they had originally been.

“Now I’ve heard from several people that we have the lowest prices in town,” said Sandra.

Another difference between Browns Grounds and the other coffee shops in The Dalles is that Browns’ serves white coffee.

“I think it’s the next big thing,” said Sandra.

Taylor moved back from Seattle to be with her family in Dufur and lend her coffee expertise to the business.

She owned a coffee stand in Seattle, and is proud of the fact that Browns Grounds serves the only white coffee in The Dalles.

“Coffee is my thing. I love it,” said Taylor.

Sandra said she and Larry had no experience with coffee making or coffee shops, so Taylor is teaching them how to make the business great.

The Browns live in Dufur and drive to The Dalles every day to run their new enterprise.