Cups Begins Fondren Renovation

If you’ve been in Cups in Fondren this week, you may have noticed a bit less space and a little more noise.

That’s because the company’s flagship location at 2757 Old Canton Road in Fondren Plaza is undergoing renovation.

“We’re trying to curate the coffee experience,” says Claire Howell, Cups Specialist for Design and Retail. “When customers come in, we want it to be that ‘my coffee is really a piece of locally crafted art’ experience. Our setup kind of gets in the way of that right now.”

Demolition began earlier this week and, for now, only the front room is available to customers. “Anyone who was here 15 years ago is like, ‘Oh this is normal,’ Howell says of the scaled back seating area. “Once we get these (two back rooms) set, we’ll swap (to redo the front room). We should be able to stay open non-stop.”

When completed, Howell says the goal is to create a layout more conducive to an art gallery, all one big space with a “nice wood slat ceiling.” She adds, “We want a lot of room for hanging (art).”

General Manager Cody Cox says he is excited. “It’s the anticipated growth I’m looking forward to and we need the space to go further than we are now,” he notes. “The biggest thing is being excited something is moving forward. We’ve talked about it for a while and now it’s moving super fast. We should see some drastic changes every single day.”

The company announced last July they had taken the lease of an adjacent space to expand their footprint. The renovations are scheduled to be complete by mid-August.

A sign on the main door reads in part, “We cannot wait to present you with a totally refreshed and larger cafe by fall. Thank you for your loyal patronage and the inspiration to create an amazing cafe experience in Fondren.”