The Blue Strawberry in downtown Cedar Rapids has been a fixture of the community since 2003. They're known for great coffee, delicious smoothies, excellent sandwiches and they even roast their own coffee beans.

But unfortunately, because of the current state in our world, it's time for the owners to make a transition. The decision did not come easy, and owner Wesley Bryant told me it was rather difficult.

Bryant has decided as of August 10th, 2020, to transition to an online store only. He told me, "In the world of COVID-19, this seems to best option for us. We have seen other downtown businesses go to a virtual workplace, which has resulted in less foot traffic through our establishment."

That means the "physical" location at 118 2nd Street SE will be closing, and downtown Cedar Rapids will be losing one of its most beloved early morning go-to spots. I'm super bummed, I love the coffee at The Blue Strawberry and I'm in there at least twice a week!

But there is some good news.

You can still get all of the fresh, handcrafted roasted coffee beans shipped right to your door. All you have to do is visit blue-strawberry.com to check out all of the delicious selections of coffee. They have plenty of choices with a wide range of flavors.

Bryant told me, "We've been selling our own coffee beans for a long time and we've recently seen growth in our online orders. Closing our brick and mortar location will give us a chance to really dedicate some time and attention to our online sales."

Bryant also hopes to see his coffee in grocery stores, churches, restaurants and other retail locations. He is also launching a subscription service that will deliver coffee right to your front door once a month.

I'm sad to see the physical side of The Blue Strawberry closing, but I'm excited for Wesley on the new adventure he is about to embark on.

For more information on The Blue Strawberry, you can visit this link.

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