A coffeehouse that was one of downtown Chattanooga's pioneering retailers after the opening of the Tennessee Aquarium more than two decades ago has moved from its longtime location.
Greyfriar's has shifted from its 406 Broad St. site to updated space next to TechTown on the 300 block of Market Street.
Stefanie Norman, Greyfriar's general manager, said the new store is larger and nicer.
"It's more open," she said. "It has a lot more windows. It's just bigger."
Norman is hopeful the new location adjacent to both TechTown and the Sports Barn also will translate into generating additional dollars.
"We'll be doing more business," she said.
TechTown, which opened earlier this summer, is seen as a new place to cultivate young creators of video, robotics and graphic design - an airy space whose leaders are looking to evoke the sense and sensibilities of independent thinkers.
TechTown doesn't consider itself a teaching institution in the classic sense, but children and teenagers take responsibility for their own learning using the technological tools they get there, officials have said.
On Broad Street, the former Greyfriar's space was empty on Friday.
Tom Maynard, manager of Lupi's Pizza Pies next door, said the operators of that eatery considered expanding into the vacant former Greyfriar's space.
"We thought about it and decided against it," he said. "It would have changed our dynamic."
But, he doesn't believe the shift of the coffeehouse will hurt Lupi's business.
"It has been closed at least a week. We've haven't seen anything," he said.
Maynard said he didn't know if any other business is planned for the Broad Street space.
Greyfriar's opened about two decades ago in downtown's riverfront area well before the vicinity became a popular spot for both local and out-of-town visitors. The coffeehouse was one of the first in a growing string of similar businesses in the central city.
The TechTown development is located in space that formerly held the Chattanooga Lifestyle Center, which was purchased in mid-2014 by private investment firm Noon Management LLC from Erlanger for $4.8 million.
The private investment firm is turning the 44,738-square-foot former medical building, which had been owned by Erlanger for 15 years, into retail, restaurant and office space.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318.