Huron has new coffee house

topey@sanduskyregister.comPeople are flocking to the Gathering Grounds Coffee House in Huron.Frank and Lea Wechter opened Gathering Grounds Coffee House in early December at 404 Main St., near the post office and the Boat Basin."Coffee is something we always wanted to do," Frank Wechter said. "You have to do something you have passion for. It makes it so much easier."The couple love the atmosphere inside the coffee shop, he said.Wechter loves that people come in and start talking to other people.It has become a gathering spot for businessmen, people meeting friends, groups come in for meetings, students come in after school and do homework.Huron needed something like their coffee shop, Frank Wechter said.They have teas, smoothies, iced drinks, and of course coffees, lattes, mochas and more.Gathering Grounds Coffee House pays three times the cost for their coffee what other commercial businesses, such as gas stations, pay."We want quality," Frank Wechter said.The couple went to their Columbus-based distributor for training. Later, the distributor came to the coffee shop and trained them again as well as the coffee shop employees.They serve baked good from Amherst-based Kiedrowski's Bakery as well as BusyBee Sweets of Milan.This is not the first business venture for the Wechters, who own Simply U Tanning.The couple had been looking for areas in Huron for years but nothing was available. That is until 404 Main St. became available.The Wechters gutted the inside of the building. It took eight months to rebuild ceilings, walls, storage and install tiled floors.There is seating for about 40 people.In a few weeks, Gathering Grounds anticipates having a drive-through for customer convenience.The coffee shop hosts after-hour parties — such as bridal parties and, for the younger crowd, tea parties, complete with tiaras.Gathering Grounds Coffee House404 Main St., HuronPhone: 419-616-0002Hours: 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday; 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday; 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.Expanded hours as spring approachesLike them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Gathering-Grounds-Coffee-House-Huron-OH/735250259868600Register photo/ANGELA WILHELM Lea and Frank Wechter, owners of Gathering Grounds Coffee House in Huron.Register photo/ANGELA WILHELM John Dutton works on his laptop in a quiet corner of Gathering Grounds Coffee House in Huron Tuesday.Register photo/ANGELA WILHELM Drink menus featuring hot, iced and frozen beverages hang on the wall at Gathering Grounds Coffee House Tuesday.Register photo/ANGELA WILHELM Lea Wechter, owner of Gathering Grounds, a new coffee shop in Huron, adds caramel to a drink Tuesday.Register photo/ANGELA WILHELM Gathering Grounds Coffee House, located on Main Street in Huron.