A coffee shop will finally be opening at 311 N. Logan Ave., although the property has changed owners – and themes – since the original plans were announced.
Joe Coppick and Juliana Turchetti Coppick purchased the property in March from the estate of Tony Leone, the proprietor of the Pasfield House who died in February 2021. The couple, who currently reside in Havana, are already involved in the coffee business but this will be their first retail location.
“We are both pilots; we used to be crop dusters and got a job in Astoria. I fell in love with a historic house in Havana,” said Juliana Coppick.
Joe now works as an aerial firefighter while Juliana is a ferry pilot, but the couple also started a business importing coffee beans from the region of Brazil where Juliana was born and raised. “We buy coffee from farmers we actually know and have visited,” said Joe, “then we roast the beans in Havana.”
Their online business, Aviation Coffee, wholesales coffee nationwide but the couple decided to take it a step further with a retail location.
The property on Logan Avenue had already been remodeled for use as a coffee shop by the previous owner, Tony Leone. His grandfather originally built the home in 1918, although it had been vacant for several decades before Leone began renovations with the intention of opening a coffee shop called Innkeeper’s Café.
Leone had furnished the interior with artifacts he collected over the years showcasing Illinois and Springfield history, although the Coppicks said their purchase of the real estate did not include the décor, which was sold separately by the estate. Instead, “our theme will be aviation, that’s always been our passion,” said Joe. “There are so many other places in Springfield doing Lincoln stuff, we wanted to be a little bit different.”
Even the name, Aviatori Coffeehouse, will reflect the couple’s love of aviation. In addition to coffee, the business will offer pastry items. The Coppicks have partnered with Three Twigs Bakery to provide baked goods, although some specialty Brazilian items, such as pão de queijo, a popular breakfast and snack food, will be made onsite.
“We are doing some remodeling now, changing colors on the walls and finishing the kitchen,” said Juliana. “We’re adding a drive-thru and there will also be a seating area.”
The goal is to have Aviatori Coffeehouse open by mid-May.
“We are so happy that we had the same idea for a business (as Tony) and we found a building to make that happen,” said Juliana.
