Caroline Liddle

Special for The Republic | azcentral.com

As of April 7, Grand Central Coffee Company has its doors open 24 hours every day

Owner Steven Rogers uses black lighting and design techniques to set the mood at The Grand

Local artists will perform in the coffee shop

Whether you’re in the mood for a quick Cup of Joe, a chilled beer, a concoction of both, a late-night snack or a place to hang out on a Friday night, The Grand is the place to be.

As of April 7, 2017, Grand Central Coffee Company, located on 718 N. Central Ave., has its doors open 24 hours every day. Owner and entrepreneur Steven Rogers hopes to attract more business by catering to ASU students down the street or anyone with a late-night craving.

The building, located on Central Avenue across from the Phoenix Public Market Cafe, has been owned by Rogers for more than 20 years. It has since been home to a variety of clubs and restaurants like Crowbar, Club Palazzo, World and Amsterdam, as well as the Grand Ballroom and Club Dwntwn — both of which are still open.

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The Grand encompasses Rogers’ vision: eclectic, diverse and bustling with life.

It has only been open for a little over a year now, but with its social media presence and location in the heart of downtown Phoenix, it has experienced steady growth. It is now a social hub on weekends, as well as an ideal place to get an afternoon drink while studying.

History

In 1996, Rogers bought the building and the one next door — now Club Dwntwn, a Latin dance club.

“When I bought the buildings, the first building had been taken off the city services, Rogers said. "In other words, it didn’t have running water… The roof had caved in and had pigeons living in it."

In 1999, Rogers opened the building as Amsterdam, an upscale, gay martini bar and club, which was the talk of the town for a while.

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“Downtown has tried several times," Rogers said. "Right before things started to take off here, we had recession after recession. I’ve seen about three of them here. The final thing that made it all happen down here in my opinion was ASU. That’s when everything changed.”

He sold the business in 2013, but remained the landlord. New occupants of the building attempted to launch a night club successor, but were unsuccessful.

Rogers then took back the space with a vision in mind.

An unconventional approach

Rogers’ background in lighting, bar and restaurant management and night clubs has helped him become the non-traditional businessman that he is.

“I lived in New York, I was going to film school and it was in the 1970s during the zenith of the disco era," Rogers said. "I just had a fascination with sets of lighting and started using it."

After school, Rogers started doing design work at night clubs. He also has experience with back operations of night club restaurants.

“And over the years that just evolved,” Rogers said.

He is now the owner of several small businesses, including a few others in Arizona, but also outside the state.

Rogers has applied his experience to The Grand by using black lighting and design techniques to set the mood of the place, as well as use his management experience to run a smooth operation.

He designed it to be like an old Victorian train station.

“A train station is like a crossroads, so there’s people coming there’s people going, it’s sort of bustling with life," Rogers said. "And that’s sort of what The Grand is more about being that kind of crossroads, then it is being any particular one thing.”

Rogers said he loves to see people entranced when they first walk in the doors.

“Creating the magic in the space and seeing people respond to it, that’s my biggest thrill,” Rogers said.

Growth

Sean Lopez works the social media, stage and event booking for The Grand through promotion company Synergistic Studios.

He says social media and local engagement are reasons why The Grand is making its mark on downtown Phoenix.

“It’s instantaneous," Lopez said. "It reaches eyes, it reaches ears instantaneously, and the fun part of that is the people that enjoy the Grand for all that it is, they get to immediately interact, whether it’s ‘love’ or ‘dislike’ or ‘like,’ and get to really shape it.”

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Lauren Swinhart, an ASU graduate student and customer at The Grand, said she feels productive while she’s there.

“It’s really cool, it’s different and it’s a little bit quieter than other places to get work done," Swinhart said. "And, it’s open so there’s a breeze and natural light. It’s just a cool idea. And, they have really good food and coffee."

The Grand has almost 2,000 likes on its Facebook page after only one year of being open.

Lopez says he books local artists to perform at The Grand as well, yet another way the coffee shop plans to interact with its diverse Phoenix community.

Johnny Rios, front-of-house manager at The Grand and local artist, has seen The Grand go through different stages since being hired when it first opened.

“The vibe compared to when I first started, it’s so much more energy — there’s so much more color now,” Rios said.

Rios said he never doubted Rogers and his vision for The Grand.

“I think it’s safe to say now that we all just trust his vision and where he wants to go with all of this,” Rios said.

Rios said he does not want to see The Grand be put in anyone else’s hands but Rogers’.

Rogers plans for The Grand are constantly evolving and coming to life. Soon to come are a speakeasy portion upstairs for a more intimate, business or party settings, as well as a grab ‘n’ go space on the lower level.

“(For) anybody that needs to meet up with someone — talk business, talk art, talk school — The Grand definitely provides a very comfortable setting for people to get done whatever it is that they need to get done,” Rios said.