DRAPER — Sacred Grounds is a coffee shop, an ice cream parlor, and a great place for lunch. But it has become more, it is a gathering place for students, parishioners, community members, businessmen and women, and passers-by. The atmosphere is very peaceful and relaxing. It is off the beaten path in a setting which is out of the rapidly growing hustle and bustle of Draper City. Owners Bruce and Debbie Dahmen opened Sacred Grounds July 1, 2006. It is located at 12485 South 900 East, Draper. They are members of St. John the Baptist Parish, Draper. The name Sacred Grounds came about because it is located next to a cemetery. Debbie wanted to take a positive twist on the name and location of the coffee shop and combined the two ideas. "Once you come here and see the cemetery you put two and two together, and realize it is coffee grounds and burial grounds," said Debbie. "We convinced Draper City it was not meant to be offensive, it was simply good marketing and very memorable." Bruce and Debbie established the property as a wireless hot spot, which means people can come in without a phone jack and use their laptop computers to connect to the internet free of charge. "That is really nice," said Debbie. "The building next door used to be Draper City Hall, but it is now a Salt Lake Community College campus and a lot of the students come over here just to relax." Debbie is in the real estate business with her mother, Darlene Dippo. Debbie said the venture came about because their real estate office, Distinctive Properties, is located on the adjoining property to Sacred Grounds. "I approached the people who owned this property and mentioned to them if they were interested in selling, we would be interested in buying," said Debbie. "We basically bought the property for the land, sight unseen because it was so overgrown with trees, debris, chicken coops, and sheds, that even the neighbors did not realize there was a log cabin on the property. You could not see it from any angle. It was owned by Dr. Hugo Rodier, who was in holistic medicine. It was his home for a while, and then he rented it." After Bruce and Debbie purchased the property and started doing the cleanup, they began talking about how it would make such a cute coffee shop. As time went on, they decided to go for it. "It took us about a year and a half from making that decision to actually getting it approved through Draper City and opening the door," said Debbie. "We had a lot of time to learn the business because neither one of us had any type of background or experience in the coffee or food industry. So we received a lot of training in that year and a half before we were ready to open. Bruce was in the telecommunications business for more than 20 years, but quit his job to work in the coffee shop full time. Bruce and Debbie had to be trained in using all of the different types of commercial grinders, brewers, and steamers, as well as the ice cream equipment, and they learned how to prepare soups and sandwiches. They also offer pastries of all types that are delivered fresh four times each week. "We wanted to go with a local coffee bean roaster, so we did quite a bit of research," said Debbie. "When we toured the facility we use, we immediately fell in love with the owner. He started roasting coffee as a hobby in his garage, and decided to retire and take this up as a new career. His roasting business is a family-run business, and he has three warehouses here in town. They deliver beans to us at least once a week, usually twice a week so our coffee is incredibly fresh. "We do double shots of espresso in our small and medium size drinks, and four shots in our large drinks, which is quite different from a lot of the other coffee houses," said Debbie. "We also use real dairy whipped cream, and all fresh, high quality products including the Monin syrups." Before the weather turned cool, a friend of Debbie’s, Tamara Morton, who just cut a CD, came and sang outside on the grass along with a guitar player and drummer. "It was so wonderful because we actually had people who brought lawn chairs and just enjoyed listening to the music and being outside," said Debbie. "I am looking forward to doing that again next spring and summer on Sunday afternoons and featuring all different types of music for people to enjoy free of charge. "We are open seven days a week, and our hours change with the different seasons," said Debbie. "As of Dec. 1, we will be open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m."
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