Owners Shawn and Laura Anderson said the construction was needed to replace aging floors, and provide more space in the kitchen.

One thing that hasn’t disappeared is the exposed brick wall in the shop.

“The brick hasn’t changed. But these walls were brown,” Shawn Anderson said, showing off the new white paint job.

“The colors in here were warm colors, browns and golds,” Laura Anderson said. “We went opposite. Light and bright.

-Daily Freeman Journal photo illustration by Joe Sutter
Morning Glory coffee shop owners Shawn and Laura Anderson are seen at left in the recently remodeled shop, in this image made from multiple photos. The coffee shop re-opened on monday after a week of renovation including new flooring, changing the color of the walls, and expanding the kitchen.

“It just needed to be refreshed.”

The work isn’t quite done yet this week; the Andersons are installing new shelving for merchandise and beans, and adding in more decorations on the plain walls.

“The floor was really rough,” Laura Anderson said. “They were 11 year old floors with lots of wear and tear. That was probably our biggest investment.”

With more and more business during lunch, there was a need for more room in the back, as well.

“The expansion of our kitchen was critical,” Shawn Anderson said.

-Daily Freeman Journal photos by Joe Sutter
Laura Anderson shows where the wall used to be at the coffee shop’s kitchen. The sink has now been pushed farther back, the back wall to the right has also been expanded, and the kitchen feels more like a kitchen and less like an office, Anderson said.

“Before the coffee shop, it was an office,” Laura Anderson said. “And it looked like somebody just threw a kitchen into an old office. Now it’s a legit kitchen.”

The shop has lost its couch, but in it’s place there are a number of new tables. And there’s a lot of open space near the front counter.

“The key is to keep the floor open so it feels more spacious. Our lines are getting bigger,” Laura Anderson said. “We used to have a couch along the front, but we found that space was not utilized well.”

“We’ve been standing room only on Saturday for a while,” Shawn Anderson said. “People will be standing there with their food waiting for a table to open up.”

The shop will have an official re-opening in a week or so. This has been more of a ‘soft opening’, they said.

-Daily Freeman Journal photos by Joe Sutter
Jesse Ogg is at work behind the counter Thursday morning at Mornin Glory.

“We had five different contractors in here working to get this done in a week,” Shawn Anderson said.

In fact, they were both impressed it got done this quickly. The shop re-opened on Monday.

“We said, as long as we can make drinks and can make food, we can open,” Laura Anderson said.

The Andersons have run the coffee shop for about three years now, and have become known for their “gourmet grilled cheese” at lunchtime as well as energetic drinks.

They were especially grateful to their local contractors — Midwest Ecostruction, Pruismann Precision Paint, P&P Electric, Biggs Flooring, and a local plumber who didn’t want to be mentioned, they said.

“We’ve been truly blessed by this community,” Shawn Anderson said.