Wholly Grinds spurs ‘a lot of excitement’ in Rock Island

There’s a small sign in the new Wholly Grinds Coffee Shop in Rock Island that the business owners hope people will take to heart. It reads: “Bad day? Coffee. Good day? Coffee. Stressed? Coffee. Happy? Coffee.” The Revs. Darryl and Kimberly Thompson – the owners and founders of the business and the mall that houses […]

There’s a small sign in the new Wholly Grinds Coffee Shop in Rock Island that the business owners hope people will take to heart. It reads: “Bad day? Coffee. Good day? Coffee. Stressed? Coffee. Happy? Coffee.” The Revs. Darryl and Kimberly Thompson – the owners and founders of the business and the mall that houses the new coffee shop – hope almost every day will be a coffee day for people in their neighborhood where they have opened a new business that will serve many drinks, snacks and meals.

More than 40 people crowded into the Wholly Grinds Coffee Shop at 2409 11th St., Suite B, Rock Island, for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, Nov. 18. (The new shop officially opened for business today, Monday, Nov. 21, and is open 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and closed on Sundays.) The business currently has three employees. “There’s been a lot of excitement in the community,” said Dylaan Bibbs, the Thompsons’ daughter and family spokesperson who was at the opening ceremonies on Friday. “We are here on 11th Street. This can be considered a ‘food desert'. So people are excited to have another option.” In addition to serving coffee, the business will serve a variety of specialty beverages, such as herbal teas, plant-based shakes, and smoothies. The menu also includes waffle-based dishes, such as waffles with turkey, sausage, egg and cheddar; and pastries, such as cobbler, muffin and cinnamon rolls. “We continue working diligently to bring new investment to 11th Street,” said Rev. Darryl Thompson in a news release. “Upon presenting our redevelopment dreams and strategies, we have received overwhelming support from many in the local community, including DARI (Development Association of Rock Island), Bridge (Investment Community Development Corp.), the city of Rock Island, and especially our church congregation to help realize the vision God has given. These collaborations are unifying in ways we cannot describe.”

During Friday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony, Liz Murray-Tallman, vice president of development services for DARI, told the crowd: “We are so proud of the Thompsons, and the investment they have made in the community.” Other speakers praising the couple included Rock Island Mayor Mike Thoms and Brian Hollenback, executive director of Bridge. The new business is located in the Embassy Square Mall, which is also owned by the Thompsons. The groundbreaking for the new coffee shop was held last November. The Thompsons established Embassy Square Mall in 2010 to assist small business owners and attract new businesses to the area. “We continue working diligently to bring new investment to 11th Street,” Rev. Darryl Thompson said in a statement. “Serving as a catalyst to spur spiritual, social, and economic change in the west end of Rock Island has been our aim all along. We remain strong in our commitment to play our part in redeveloping the west end and continue praying that more will join us,” added the Rev. Kimberly Thompson. “What excites us most is the rich diversity of small business owners and tenants and partners at Embassy Square. It has been quite a journey since we started the project in 2010.” The new coffee shop will probably not be the last new business in the mall.  During his prayer on Friday to welcome the new business, the Rev. Darryl Thompson said: “We are just getting started. We are not done yet.”