Andrea Grove, owner of Elementary Coffee Co., and Matt Krupp, Dauphin County prothonotary
“I think everyone thought this would be bulldozed.”
If you had never seen 256 North St. before it housed Elementary Coffee Co., you wouldn’t believe how business owner Andrea Grove described it.
“The back portion of the building had completely collapsed,” she said. “All of the floors were like falling in on themselves.”
That’s how bad the property, formerly two addresses, looked when neighbor Matt Krupp decided to purchase them and undertake an extensive reconstruction with no prior experience, and when Grove joined up to open a home base for Elementary.
“I got fed up with the sight of it,” said Krupp, Dauphin County’s prothonotary, who lives nearby. “It was a huge undertaking for someone who’s never done it before.”
In the end, Krupp, Grove and a team of contractors restored the historic building, and the property even won a 2020 Preservation Award from the Historic Harrisburg Association.
“It’s really cool that we were able to help save the building, and now we bought the building,” Grove said.
This month, Grove closed on the purchase of the building that has been Elementary’s home since 2019. The moment marks what she believes is an important step forward for her business and an example for other small business owners who want to put their name on their own brick-and-mortar.
And for Krupp, who said he was happy to sell to Grove, the milestone serves as a point of reflection for how blighted buildings, even ones in horrible condition, can be saved with some “grit” and a passion for your community.
Foot in the Door
Grove recalled the hard work and funding that Elementary put into the shop during the rehab. She helped guide design of the space, picking large windows to bring visibility and light to the shop, black countertops and lots of raw-edge wood features.
The coffee shop quickly became a downtown staple, adding to Elementary’s Broad Street Market stand, which closed in the brick building after the 2023 fire, but has since reopened in the market’s stone building.
Andrea Grove inside Elementary
“I’m really grateful that now all of the investment that we made up front is something that we get to actually have ownership of,” she said.
The building also includes two loft-style apartments upstairs and a small unit that has been used for short-term rental in the back, and will be managed by Midtown Property Management.
The purchase is significant for Grove. She views this as a chance for Elementary to have opportunities to acquire loans and additional revenue. But she also sees the ownership as empowering, a way to have better peace of mind and as a message to Harrisburg that Elementary isn’t going anywhere.
“Small businesses like this are what puts a property on the map, right? I think it’s very rare that they then get the opportunity to actually own the place that really is kind of making money for the building owners,” she said. “It’s already hard to predict your future when the world is so uncertain, so it’d be really nice if people were able to be more secure, at least in the space that they’re in. I’m really grateful that Matt was like, ‘we’ll work with you.’”
Grove recognized that most small businesses don’t have the capital to make a large purchase and was grateful for a loan from family. Now, she’s advocating for better opportunities for other local businesses.
“There needs to be some red tape that’s cut here and there so there are still opportunities for them,” she said. “You need to have somebody who’s willing to let you have the opportunity to get your foot in the door.”
Back to Life
The North Street structure has come a long way. When Krupp purchased them, the adjoining buildings were condemned and falling apart.
“Everybody in the downtown area had a key interest in seeing that property developed,” he said. “It was one of the few underdeveloped properties downtown.”
256 North St. before renovations. File photo from 2018.
Krupp purchased the blighted units from the Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority and got to work, which included completely rebuilding portions of the building. He had a vision of incorporating housing and a local business that would appeal to neighbors and visitors to the city.
“North Street is a wonderful blend of retail, residential and commercial,” he said. “I thought that Elementary would be a good fit.”
While the project was taxing, Krupp hopes that other city residents will take on the task of revitalizing their community—seeing how successful it can be.
“Don’t be afraid to undertake big projects like this,” he said. “This is an example of a building that was brought back to life.”
Krupp purchased the derelict building for $34,000. Grove has now bought the fully renovated property for $550,000.
The historic building was given a second life, and now, under her ownership, Grove is excited for Elementary’s future on North Street.
“This is actually a really beautiful story because it is, I think, very rare that this sort of thing gets to occur,” she said.
Elementary Coffee Co. is located at 256 North St., Harrisburg. For more information, visit their website.
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