Excitement is brewing on Elizabeth Street in Riverside, Calif. as local coffee shop Mikey G’s prepared to open its first brick-and-mortar storefront. The business opened its doors to customers March 21 for a soft opening that gave visitors the opportunity to explore the new location and try some of its handcrafted beverages.
Mikey G’s began as a soft-serve ice cream brand before transitioning into the coffee market. The company spent nearly four years building the business before reaching this milestone. For owners Jake Driscoll, Steven Burgos and Geoff Gouveia, the new storefront marked a significant step as they continued building a business to support their families.
Jake Driscoll, California Baptist University alumnus and one of the owners of Mikey G’s, reflected on the success of the soft opening weekend.
“I can’t tell you how fun this weekend was, like soft opening. It was so much fun,” Driscoll said. “We did like 500 drinks in a day, and that was crazy. We had a line starting before we opened the doors and it didn’t stop until we closed them and that was just like, ‘Wow, we did it.’”
Customers lined up near the shop’s signature yellow wall and a mural featuring the brand’s mascot, highlighting the business’s connection to the Riverside community. Jessica Conchas, junior marketing major, attended the soft opening.
“The soft opening was great. They gave a deal with posting on your social media to get a free drink,” Conchas said. “That was amazing advertising because it gets people to come to the pop-up, but also to come back, which was really cool to see through a marketing/business lens.”
Daniel Greer, education graduate student, said he appreciated seeing the community support the growing business.
“It’s awesome to see Mikey’s grow and come into their own in this location,” Greer said. “They have been gaining lots of attention in the last few years and so, it was cool to see the community support them in this way.”
Driscoll acknowledged the role the community played in Mikey G’s success.
“That’s also a beautiful thing too, to kind of dig into something for years but to see over time that now other people are caring for this idea of Mikey G’s with us… But it’s also been I think the biggest blessing because now, I get to experience the joys and the excitement of this very moment that we’re living in.”
While opening the storefront fulfilled a goal for the owners, the process included several challenges. Building a brand and opening a physical location required patience and persistence.
“I think the beauty about our space right now is it’s finished in the city’s eyes. We had to do our best to, you know, do everything they asked us to do in order to open and we did it,” Driscoll said. “We’re open now and now, we get to make the space feel more and more like Mikey G’s.”
The owners continued shaping the space after the soft opening. They recently added an interior mural reflecting part of the company’s tagline.
“So, our tagline in Mikey G’s is ‘I’m doing my best for those I love’ and it’s kind of like a two-part thing. I’m doing my best with that mentality of we continue to show up and get better each and every day, even if it’s not perfect,” Driscoll said. “The other part is for those I love, and it’s kind of a nod to just who we are and what we care about… When I look at [the shop on] Elizabeth, I can’t help but really just think of this tagline and this being kind of like our why and what we show up to everyday.”
As the business continued developing the Elizabeth Street location, the owners said they looked forward to the shop becoming a gathering place for the community.
“What I’m really looking forward to is just being a space that people care about and people get to have their own stories and experiences and memories and enjoys and us getting to be a part of their day,” Driscoll said. “I feel like the possibilities are endless with this location and I’m just really looking forward to the way that Mikey G’s gets to be apart of just caring for the people we love.”
Mikey G’s plans to serve specialty drinks and create personalized experiences for customers at the new location. The shop will operate from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily during its soft opening phase, with a grand opening planned for mid-April.
