Mr. Smith's
Coffee House

No, our last name is not Smith.  But there was a real Mr. Smith; he was Robert (Bob) Smith of Green Springs, Ohio.

Bob had a store called Smith's Drug...not a coffeehouse.  What it was was the meeting place for the friends and neighbors in the small community of Green Springs, Ohio.  Bob's old fashioned store had a pharmacy, a section that shelved small appliances and grocery items, and in the back of the shop he sold clothes and toys and tools and other sundries.

In the middle of the store was a large counter where customers would sit on spinning stools and enjoy root beer, soup, ice cream, even coffee...and conversation.

As a kid, it was a real treat to get to go to Mr. Smith's (as everyone called it ) and get to choose a piece of candy from his huge candy display, or maybe a comic book or milkshake.

Bob Smith and his 'small shop in a small town' are distant memories for me now, but the feeling I had as a kid going to such a warm, comfortable place outside my own home has never left me.  That has always been how I wanted our coffeehouse to feel for our customers.

I hope you feel welcome.

Trent Beard

Co-Owner

Mr. Smith's Coffee House

Who We Are

Trent and Sara Beard met in 1994 at the first coffeehouse they worked in - Uptown Coffeehouse in Fremont, Ohio.  Sara was an employee at Uptown and Trent was the very first customer on the very first day they opened for business.  Soon Trent talked the owners into hiring him, and he and Sara began learning about coffee together.

After Uptown closed in 1996, Sara went to work at Brew Ha Ha (another coffee house) in Clyde, Ohio and Trent at Coffee Temptations in Sandusky, Ohio.  It was during this time that Sara came to Coffee Temptations and asked Trent out on a date one day.  He said yes and the two dated for a while but then decided to stop and remain friends.

In late 1997 Trent left Coffee Temptations to work at The Coffee Beanery in the Sandusky Mall.  A month later, Sara began working there as well for some extra part-time money.  Soon they were managing the place, and Trent then asked Sara out on a date.

They were married on February 28th, 1999.

Sara and Trent managed The Coffee Beanery until 2008 when they finally decided it was time to have their own coffee shop.  Mr. Smith's Coffee House opened on May 5th, 2008 at 140 Columbus Avenue in downtown Sandusky, Ohio...the original location of Coffee Temptations.

The building was originally used as a silent movie theater nearly a century ago.  In decades past, it has been the home of many restaurants as well as three different coffee shops.  The space has an eclectic character all its own that lends to the comfortable coffeehouse atmosphere.