Further enhancing the downtown Little Rock coffee scene will be the folks who own At the Corner, the diner at the southeast corner of East Markham and Scott streets.
Helen Grace King said the restaurant, which has a retro look but which emphasizes local foods and fresh ingredients, had bought an espresso machine and will soon be offering specialty coffees — lattes, cappuccinos and the like.
King, who owns the restaurant with her sister, Leila King, their mother, Helen, along with Kamiya Merrick, the executive chef, said she and her sister were starting barista training.
“We just think it’s going to add something to our breakfast that we offer during the week and our weekend brunch,” Helen Grace said.
There’s no timeline because “we don’t do things until we’re completely ready,” though she hopes by summer.
“This continues to make us competitive,” King said, now that the long fancy-coffee drought downtown is over.
At least four specialty coffee shops have opened in the last few months or will open soon downtown: Starbucks at the Little Rock Marriott, Blue Sail Coffee at the Little Rock Technology Park, Zetêo Coffee and Nexus Coffee & Creative, scheduled to open later this year.