Salt City Coffee

Syracuse, N.Y. -- Ever since moving to Syracuse seven years ago from Schroon Lake in the Adirondacks, Aaron Metthe thought about opening a shop to sell something he's loved most of his life -- coffee.

"My dad gave me the love for coffee," he said.

Last week, Metthe, 34, a former skills-builder at Hillside Children's Center, realized his dream and opened Salt City Coffee on the first floor of an 1860s house at 509 W. Onondaga St. The house served as the home of the McMahon-Ryan Child Advocacy Center until 2011.

Located on West Onondaga Street between Midland and South avenues, the shop is open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. It sells coffee, espresso, tea and specialty drinks. It has free Wi-Fi and lots of on-site parking.

Metthe buys coffee beans from a half-dozen countries (Brazil, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Mexico and Sumatra) and roasts them in the back of the shop. In addition to selling cups of coffee and tea, he sells bags of roasted coffee and loose leaf tea.

Metthe said 6,000 cars a day pass by the home, and he's hoping some of those motorists will stop in for a cup of joe on a regular basis. Customers are encouraged to consume their beverages in the shop, which has seating for 34.

"We want this to be a neighborhood hangout, even if your neighborhood is downtown," he said.