Infinity celebrates dual grand opening in Rockford
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Chamber of Commerce representatives and community members join owner Scott White for a ribbon cutting ceremony to kick off the grand opening of Infinity Coffee Shop and Specialty Store, along with Infinity Real Estate. Photo by Elizabeth Milhan
Monday’s grand opening included the official opening of Infinity Real Estate in Rockford. Pictured is owner and real estate broker Scott White in his real estate office adjacent to the coffee shop. Photo by Christa Jennings
The display case at Infinity Coffee Shop showcases an assortment of baked goods available. Photo by Christa Jennings
A number of various flavored syrups, including sugar-free options, are available for flavoring coffees. Photo by Christa Jennings
The lobby of the real estate office serves as a waiting area and also a quiet place for customers to work while enjoying their refreshments. Photo by Christa Jennings
Guests quickly become customers while enjoying the dual grand opening for the new Rockford businesses. Photo by Christa Jennings
The specialty store houses clothing and jewelry by Cahaba Lily Boutique, as well as various gift items. Photo by Christa Jennings
Candles, assorted pieces of art and other gift items are available by Tina Fuller in the Infinity Specialty Store. Photo by Christa Jennings
Infinity Coffee Shop offers a soup of the day, with soups offered on a rotating basis. Monday’s soup for the grand opening was potato soup. Photo by Christa Jennings
In addition to the coffee shop’s menu and offerings, guests attending the grand opening also had the opportunity to enjoy free refreshments as part of the celebration. Photo by Christa Jennings
By Christa Jennings
Senior Staff Writer
Monday marked a special day as two new businesses celebrated a grand opening ceremony in downtown Rockford.
After holding a soft opening October 17, Infinity Coffee Shop and Specialty Store, along with Infinity Real Estate, held its grand opening Monday. The Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting ceremony to welcome these new businesses and chamber members to the county.
“The Coosa County Chamber of Commerce is so excited to see another business coming to our wonderful county,” said Travis Milhan, president of the chamber’s Board of Directors. “We encourage everyone to come check out Infinity Coffee Shop and Specialty Store in Rockford. If you have not tried the coffee, sandwiches, lunch, and delicacies, you are truly missing out.”
Owned by Scott White, who is also the mayor of Rockford, the businesses have already seen great success since opening at the 4-way stop in Rockford. Now, following the grand opening, the new businesses look forward to even more success.
Milhan said, “This is a great time to grow or start your business in Coosa County, and the Chamber of Commerce will be glad to help all business startups so they can be as successful as Infinity Coffee Shop has. There are plenty of opportunities for you to dream as big as Scott White has with Infinity.”
Seeing the shop and real estate office come to fruition was a true labor of love for White. As people milled about the shop Monday, enjoying various refreshments, they also had the opportunity to watch a photo slideshow on a TV screen.
This slideshow showcased numerous photos of the building from start to finish, showing what it originally looked like as the old NAPA building and renovations done to get it to its current state.
Many attending the celebration commented on how the building had been transformed, with some remembering the state it was in previously and remarking on how far it had come. Others simply commented on how nice the facility is now and how it is laid out.
The front of the shop houses White’s real estate office on one side and the coffee shop on the other side.
The coffee shop offers smoothies, various coffees, hot cocoa and frozen hot cocoa, muffins, cookies, various breakfast items, two types of chicken salad, a soup of the day, club sandwiches, a chicken quesadilla, grilled cheese, and various other baked goods such as cinnamon buns, cream cheese danish and sticky buns.
All of the coffee shop’s food items are baked or made fresh in house daily by Rebecca Biernesser. Other assorted baked goods are also available, with some baked goods being offered on a rotating basis.
Guests who venture to the back of the shop will see the specialty store, which houses a variety of artwork by Tina Fuller, as well as clothing and jewelry by Cahaba Lily Boutique, along with other gift items.
White said that, regarding future plans for the business, he hopes to continue to grow and add in some different items. He is also considering having a paint party room in the back of the shop in the future.
Approximately 74 people came out to attend the grand opening, with many enjoying a variety of free refreshments. Attendees also had the opportunity to “taste test” loaded grits and cranberry salad, with the grits potentially being added to the “soup of the day” rotation.
While many enjoyed the free refreshments, most visitors were eager to also try the coffee shop’s warm coffees, refreshing smoothies and assorted food items and pastries.
White said that the grand opening went well and was considered successful. He said that numerous people “jumped in” to help, with him noting that the Chamber of Commerce was a big help, as well as some community members. He thanked everyone who helped make the event a success, as well as all those who attended the grand opening and showed their support.
Elected officials in attendance for the event, aside from White, were Rockford Town Council members Lynn Anne Castleberry and Niesha Whetstone.
While the shop provides a laid back atmosphere for people to grab a bite to eat and enjoy a beverage while taking it easy, it also serves as a work space for people who need to work or conduct other business while there.
“The model for this is to provide a great place for folks to come gather, shop and do business or work while they are served,” White said. “WiFi will be available, and we have had a few depositions in the back conference room, as well as staff meetings for local entities while they are served coffees and pastries. A few Zoom meetings have also taken place.”
Following the ribbon cutting ceremony Monday, White said that while many of the people he graduated high school with in Coosa County moved away, he didn’t want to leave.
“I wanted to stay,” White said. “I have a vision for this county and this town. Take this old building. Remember what it used to look like? Sometimes I forget what it used to look like because so much [has changed]. I want to keep on driving that force here. Have a vision.”
Regarding the renovated building, White said that they bought the estate there in January and were fortunately able to get the remodel done ahead of schedule with all of the other remodel projects going on simultaneously with both personal properties and town projects.
“We would like everyone to know that we enjoy breathing new life into some older buildings that are in bad shape,” he said. “We have heard positive feedback from passersby about how Rockford is a cute little town, but that they don’t know why people let things get in the shape they are in. We want to see our town prosper and offer more services to its citizens while providing new options that we may not have had, along with the already established options.”
“I’ve always said good change is not bad,” White added. “We don’t have to lose our small town feel, but we do have to support and improve our aging infrastructure or it will crumble around us. We hope to see more improvements and additions to this one in the future.”
Infinity Coffee Shop and Specialty Store will be closed today as part of its two-day closure for Thanksgiving. However, starting Monday the shop will be open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. It can be reached at 256-377-8055.
Infinity Real Estate can be reached at 256-377-8035 and is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. However, White can be reached anytime for real estate business at 256-935-0061.
Those interested can also follow the business pages on social media by finding Infinity Real Estate LLC, as well as Infinity Coffee Shop and Specialty Store, on Facebook.
The real estate page highlights various properties for sale, while the coffee shop page gives followers a chance to view the daily menu, including the soup of the day or other specialty items, such as baked goods that rotate out periodically. Gift certificates are also available to purchase for use at the coffee shop.