MANCHESTER, NH – When Jonathan Hutchins opened William & Sons Coffee Co. on the West Side, it hadn’t been part of a big plan. In fact, opening a coffee shop in New Hampshire hadn’t been.
An opportunity presented itself, and it was like it was meant to be.
Those opportunities keep coming. Two years after opening his first New Hampshire location at 489 Amory St., Hutchins this week cut the ribbon on a third shop, at 814 Elm St. Like the West Side William & Sons, the two most recent locations, on Elm Street and in Concord, are leased spaces that already were fitted out to sell coffee and food.
“Our strategy is just to grow as other amazing rental opportunities open up where kitchens already exist and buildouts are lean,” Hutchins told Ink Link Thursday.
The downtown Manchester location opened July 7, and the official ribbon-cutting was Tuesday. William & Sons opened at 72 Washington St., in Concord, in December.
The downtown William & Sons, in the Beacon Building, takes over the space that most recently housed the Midtown Café.
“It’s a beautiful building whose owners take great pride in its upkeep,” Hutchins said. He noted that details like the old pipe organ and other art and relics in the building’s foyer add to its appeal.
The location is also coffee-shop perfect. “We have lots of seating for both work and meetings,” as well as Wi-Fi, and a menu with breakfast and lunch options.
“We are already getting famous for our fresh baked focaccia and Italian Kraft sandwiches,” Hutchins said.
In addition to online ordering, you can also pick up coffee beans by the bag, which can be ground to go at all three locations.
While the focus has always been on coffee, both of the new locations have a more robust food menu than the original West Side one, but Amory Street will not be left behind, Hutchins said.
“Once we finish developing our new Elm Street location guest base, we will pivot back to the West Side to try and add some more food options to the menu,” he said. The building’s owner has agreed to do electric upgrades that will allow the business to grow its menu there.
“We are still very committed to the West Side of Manchester,” Hutchins said. “We love the West Side of Manchester.”
William & Sons opened on Amory Street in May 2023, at the former location of Mi Vida Café. Hutchins is a certified Q grader, which means he’s licensed to evaluate coffee and roasting operations in relation to industry standards. He and his wife, Patricia, a school teacher, had recently moved to Loudon and he was working from home and getting to know the state’s coffee roasting community. When the café closed, he saw an opportunity.
He also saw opportunity on the West Side as a whole, across the bridge from the business boom and bustle of Elm Street. The Concord location is similar, in that it’s in not in busy downtown, but in the White Park neighborhood a few blocks west. The neighborhood, which includes University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce Law School, has its own vibe.
“We just love the community feel of the new Concord location,” Hutchins said. “All of Concord’s current coffee shops are downtown, where parking is a little more difficult. We love serving the Concord community from inside the neighborhood of the White Park area.”
The 3,180 square-foot building most recently was home to the former Food Basket convenience store, and has a full kitchen.
William & Sons began as a boutique roasting company several years ago in Porto Alegre, Brazil, where Jonathan and Patricia lived at the time. The company’s name is a nod to his father, whose legacy inspired the startup, Hutchins said.
They moved to New Hampshire, where they have family in the area, in 2021.
Since the West Side location opened, they’ve grown their staff, which includes himself and Patricia, from four to 15 employees across the three shops.
“We really love Manchester, it feels like home for us,” Hutchins told the crowd at Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting. “We really appreciate this city, and the way it’s embraced us in so many ways.”
He also had a shout-out for the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce and other organizations that work collaboratively to help the business community grow.
“It opened my eyes to how organizations and cities help support, all different people coming together, even a little bit, all together is a big support for small businesses.”
Hutchins said Thursday that the community, which has been so welcoming, helps William & Sons grow.
“We are so grateful to all our guests of William & Sons Coffee Co. who continue to choose us every morning for coffee,” he said. “I believe that when a guest comes to you every day to drink and eat, it’s a sacred trust that must be guarded with great care. We continue to learn how we can make our business better a little bit more each day.”
[HOURS]
7 a.m.-2 p.m., Monday through Saturday, all locations
[LOCATIONS]
- 489 Amory St., Manchester
- 814 Elm St., Manchester
- 72 Washington St., Concord