YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
Travellers House Coffee LLC is the new coffeehouse tenant at the Springfield-Branson National Airport after a bidding process.
The company, which does business as Travellers House Coffee & Tea, opened the shop Nov. 19, said co-founder Greg Venturella. It's located just past the northwest Springfield airport's Transportation Security Administration checkpoint.
“This location is also an opportunity to promote the area. We plan to feature Springfield, Branson and regional area coffee roasters and give visitors the opportunity to sample what the region has to offer," Venturella said in a news release.
Airport spokesperson Kit McGuire-Stiggins said the airport's previous coffee tenant, Rove Coffee, closed in mid-April. Rove Coffee co-owner Dustin Jackson said the company chose not to renew its lease at the airport as sales were dipping amid the pandemic, leading the business to shift entirely to the wholesale roasting side of its operation.
Travellers House was selected from three proposals in a public bidding process, McGuire-Stiggins said. She said Travellers House signed a two-year deal with options for another three years and has agreed to pay 8% of gross monthly receipts.
Travellers House operates two other Springfield shops: one at 824 S. National Ave. in Boomer Town Studios and the other at 2151 W. Republic Road in Republic Plaza.
The company's opening at 2300 N. Airport Blvd. comes amid a down year for air travel, after the coronavirus pandemic brought traffic to a near halt in the spring and since has continued to damper passenger counts nationwide.
Springfield airport spokesperson Kent Boyd said passenger counts would be up this week for the Thanksgiving holiday. However, he said traffic is expected to be down from the 96,651 passengers recorded in November 2019. This month's count won't become available until December, he noted.
After traffic bottomed out in April, Boyd said it has slowly picked back up throughout the year. The coronavirus pandemic has resulted in irregularities, he said, such as activity in October and November that likely will be busier than July.
"This tells me that people have gradually become more comfortable with the idea of flying during a pandemic," Boyd said, noting June and July historically are the biggest months for the airport.
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