There is a new hot spot in Marion that people of all ages are talking about after their grand opening on Saturday.
Dorothy’s Coffee House and Tea Room is located in a former house across the street from the Historic Elgin Hotel on Third Street in Marion. Dorothy’s offers coffee, tea and other drinks as well as meals and pastries. In addition to the food and beverages, the atmosphere is warm and inviting with various types of seating available. The also have free WiFi for customers. While the business is separate from the Elgin, it’s still all in the family. Glenda and Duke McCord, mom and step-dad to Elgin owner Tammy Ensey, own Dorothy’s and brother-in-law Jerry Mendoza is operating it.
The kitchen had a lot of water damage so had to be completely redone, but the owners were able to salvage most of the original structure of the 1887 home.
As the name suggests, the Wizard of Oz theme is carried throughout the shop starting even outside where the famous witch legs with striped socks and red shoes are coming out from under the house.
“We wanted to make this a destination place. We tied in the Wizard of Oz since our owners name is Glenda and this year is the 80th anniversary of the movie. When it warms up, we are going to be plowing the area out there on the side and putting a screen and projector out there to show the movie,” said Mendoza.
In addition to the shop, a counseling center is planned on the second floor for marriage and family counseling. It is still under construction but the end of July is the goal for the opening.
“Hopefully the coffee shop will subsidize the counseling center so people will not have to pay for that,” said Mendoza.
The hours are a big part of the appeal for community members. A common complaint from those in Marion County is the lack of anywhere to get good coffee before work, in the evenings and on Sundays. Dorothy’s will be open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. and then again from 4 p.m. – 10 p.m. On Sundays, they are open from 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
In addition to various pastries, there will be breakfast and lunch items available such as breakfast croissants, sandwiches, salad and soups. They won’t have dinner available but will continue to serve the lunch items each day until they are gone.
“We have seating inside, but once it gets warmer, we will have seating available on the wraparound porch,” said Mendoza.
Mendoza, who moved here from Texas, is enjoying getting to know the small town of Marion and the people in it. He is especially excited to be able to offer jobs to high school and college students.
“We want to mentor them and help them learn some valuable skills,” said Mendoza.
You can find more information at www.facebook.com/dorothyscoffee/.
