Cool Beans owner to sell Bellefonte cafe
Wendy Fultz is ready for the next step.
It just might not be down the stairs into Cool Beans for much longer.
Fultz, who has owned the Bellefonte cafe for seven and a half years, wants to sell it to make way for her next venture. She plans on launching a retail business in Bellefonte and will keep the cafe open until the business is sold.
“I’ve taken it to where I wanted to get it,” Fultz said. “When I took over seven years ago I achieved what I set out to do, and I’m going to do something else in retail. I’m ready for the next chapter.”
Fultz contemplated her future with the cafe for about a year.
It’s my baby, so I want someone to give it everything they have to take it to the next step.
Wendy Fultz
Feeling she accomplished what she wanted to make it — a cornerstone of the community — Fultz doesn’t want to spread herself too thin between two ventures.
“I never thought it’d be a 20-year commitment,” she said. “I wanted to start there, get a great following and move onto something else and bring more to Bellefonte. I think Bellefonte needs more on the retail end, and I can’t do both. I’ve given my heart and soul to it. It’s my baby, so I want someone to give it everything they have to take it to the next step.”
She doesn’t have a goal for when it will be sold.
“It has to go to the right person,” Fultz said. “When people come in, it’s extremely customer orientated. If we don’t know your name, we know what you drink. They have to make customers their first priority and want to be a part of community and want to support it.”
One potential area of growth for the cafe is to be open more hours. The cafe is closed on Sunday and doesn’t stay open after 5 p.m. except on Mondays.
Some people have already expressed interest in buying the business.
Cool Beans opened in 1996, and she wants the cafe to keep its name.
“It’s been an amazing ride,” Fultz said. “It’s been super hard work, but rewarding to be part of (the) community and to be respected. I’ve made some of (my) very best friends here.”
Shawn Annarelli: 814-235-3928, @Shawn_Annarelli
This story was originally published January 29, 2016 at 2:27 PM with the headline "Cool Beans owner to sell Bellefonte cafe."