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After being closed for over two months, Stomping Grounds reopened today in its remodled and expanded state. My anticipation of this day has been building for weeks, and I can say I was definitely satistified by the experience.

Stomping Grounds has a special place in my heart, and if I were forced to name a favorite coffee house in Ames, I think they would be my choice. It is the first coffee house I ever visited in Ames, and as far as I know, they are the oldest currently-existing coffee house in operation in our fine city.

My first visit there was in November or December of 1995 — my freshman year in college. I think Santa Fe Espresso opened in the spring of ‘96 and Gregory’s also opened sometime in ‘96…You could get a latte in the MU for the first time in the Fall of ‘96, and I think Taraccino opened in the summer or fall of ‘97, with the Burgie’s on Airport road appearing in about December of ‘98.

I became a semi-regular customer at Stomping Grounds in ‘99 while I was support raising to go on staff — I got hooked when I found out you could get double stamps on your card on Mondays…and they also used to have a “daily special” latte…which was a latte with a flavor combination of some sort for about the price of a latte with no flavors.

It’s been amazing to see Stomping Ground go from being a small, somewhat ugly coffee house when I first started going there (any one remember the blue-yellow-green splotch-painted walls with coffee bags on the ceiling?) to a small cool-looking place…to its current rendition as a spacious, even cooler place to hang out.

If you go on a Monday afternoon…I might just see you there!