327 W Main leased for Biggby Coffee & Cold Scoops

Sarah Simmons and the property she has leased at 327 West Main for a Biggby Coffee and Cold Scoops

submitted by Sarah Simmons

Chris Moyle has spent more than 29 years as a successful business owner here within the Village of Manchester. He opened his first original Ollie’s location in 1993, and second location of Ollie’s Pizza and Grinders side by side with Over The Edge Sports Bar in 2016, restoring another previously abandoned run-down building to new beauty and life. 

I have been employed with Over The Edge since late 2017, and moved into a managerial/advertisement position full-time in 2019 after leaving the nursing field. Everyday I would arrive to work with some kind of frozen coffee beverage in hand, always from the same place. Chris would often joke how one day I should own my own coffee shop. In the Spring of 2021, that opportunity would arise. 

The property at 327 W Main St was going up for sale and Chris purchased the property. Through the fall of 2021 and winter months of 2022 Chris has been making several improvements to the exterior of the building. Meanwhile I had been working hard behind the scenes with the Village, preparing an application for Conditional use. 

On Monday April 18, the Village of Manchester held a public hearing for my application for a Conditional Use Permit to operate a fast-food location with a drive through in Manchester’s C-2 Commercial district and the Village approved with conditions. 

Then, on Wednesday April 20, along side with my partner, another long-time successful Manchester investor, property and business Owner; David Moyle, I signed on with BIGGBY COFFEE officially as Store #896. In addition to the operation of a drive thru for BIGGBY, we will be opening Cold Scoops, a full-service counter featuring hand dipped ice cream, donuts, soft serve cones, malts, and sundaes! 

We are anticipating opening before the end of 2022.

While I was a long-time resident of Tecumseh and Ann Arbor, I now reside in Clinton with my five children. However, my Manchester roots go deep as my great grandmother was Carmen Calloway of Manchester, and I am the granddaughter of former Manchester resident Sandra Lamb Murray. I am an active member of Manchester’s DDA with several family ties still residing within the Manchester community. I previously worked as a barista with Barry Bagels and have confectioner experience with Ann Arbors Washtenaw Dairy, Zingerman’s Bakehouse and Weber’s Inn.

I never would have dreamed five years ago, being a mom working 16-hour midnight shifts, that one day my dreams would come true. I am forever grateful to Chris Moyle for helping me achieve this opportunity; without him I would not be where I am in life. For years I have watched him make a difference in many of his employee and the community lives, he has been a great employer and friend. I truly thank him from the bottom of my heart for all he has helped me accomplish in my career and the personal growth that he has taught me. Chris is a one-of-a-kind employer and I hope others can acknowledge how much knowledge Chris has to teach and the compassion that he has for so many people.

Thank you to the community for all your help and support in the application process, I am so excited to be able to bring a convenience and a place to make memories again to the village

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.