Taking flight

A new coffee shop is taking flight.

Grounds on the Fly, a military aviation-themed cafe, opened for business Wednesday morning. The new business is offering special discounts to first responders and customers with a military I.D., allowing them to visit for a free regular coffee every day of the week.

It also features a drive-thru for caffeine lovers on the go.

Owner Tracey VanSkyock explained she’s been wanting to open a coffee shop for years. After tiring of the long hours at Jay-Randolph Developmental Services, she decided it was time for a change.

“Coffee’s like my go-to to calm down, even though it makes other people hyper,” she said.

She asked her husband, Dalton VanSkyock, if she should pursue her dream. He told her to go for it.

“I said, ‘Hey, if that’s what you want to do — make it happen,’” he said.

The couple is renting half of the Portland building on 206 W. Main St., from Brad Barnett, who bought the old Aker-Taylor Plumbing and Heating building in an auction. Barnett, Dalton VanSkyock and several other family and friends teamed in together in the last five weeks to make Tracey VanSkyock’s dream a reality.

In a little more than a month, the team worked day and night to renovate the building before opening. Along with adding new furniture and coffee machines, they also installed new wiring, plumbing, lights, walls and a furnace.

“It was a bare shell,” Barnett recalled of the building that was damaged by a fire in October 2018.

Six members of Tracey’s family have been enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, prompting her to open a shop tailored to veterans and active duty military workers. She explained she wanted to do something for community members who have served the country.

“I don’t see the community giving back a lot to them,” she said. “I’ve got a lot of family members that are military, and this is just, you know, kind of a tribute to all of them.”

She added she hopes to get more locals involved in celebrating service members.

Her theme colors mirror the blue, white and silver colors in the Air Force logo, and both the business’ logo and name allude to the aviation field. There will also be a wall honoring military workers on which community members can display pictures of family or themselves serving in the military.

She’s offering pastries and baked good delivered from Amazing Glaze, a Hartford City bakery, along with staple coffee items and specialty themed drinks. Her favorite drink is The Pilot, which is a triple shot of espresso mixed with brown sugar cinnamon, salted caramel and heavy cream.

In honor of Red Friday, which celebrates deployed military workers, customers wearing red on Fridays can donate a percentage of their total to local veterans.

Grounds on the Fly will celebrate its ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1 p.m. on Oct. 2. In the meantime, customers can stop by any time from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays. The coffee shop will also be open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays.

After being more busy than anticipated on her first day, Tracey VanSkyock noted she might look into hiring more workers.

She’s been trying to pull her husband behind the counter as well, but he hasn’t given in yet.

“She thinks I’m going to be up there slinging coffee, but I don’t know,” Dalton VanSkyock said.