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By Hamza Khan
Chloe Rain McGeehan has been working in Long Island restaurants since she was 15.
And now she’s pursuing a lifelong dream of opening her own coffee shop.
McGeehan, of Sound Beach, 28, spent about three years looking for the perfect home for her Ghost Town Coffee concept. Then she found a 1,500-square-foot space across from the Kings Park LIRR Station. The hope is to open early next year.
“I’ve worked in a couple different coffee shops,” McGeehan told Greater Long Island. “There was one I worked in that really inspired my love for coffee, and I just thought that eventually I wanted to do something like that myself.”
Once open, McGeehan will be offering a wide variety of drinks — from teas to seasonal lattes.
She’s also been lining up local bakeries to help stock the food shelves.
In the meantime, McGeehan is awaiting her permits and permissions so she and her team can get started.
The name “Ghost Town” draws on her passion for Western life and culture, but she’s looking to combine that with the North Shore coastal vibe of Kings Park.
The storefront is already adorned with a hand-painted sign, complete with a skull sprouting flowers.
And that has been attracting many curious onlookers.
“I’m actually really surprised by the response,” McGeehan said. “I haven’t done any marketing yet myself. But just from people walking by and taking pictures and posting online, everyone seems really happy and excited.”
Kings Park is currently home to a Dunkin’ – and, soon, a Starbucks. But the allure of a local business can be hard to beat.
“It’s just a totally different concept, and we’re hoping to bring about more of a community feel, and not corporate,” McGeehan said.
Catering to the community is a running theme for McGeehan, who remembers searching for a good sit-down coffee shop when she used to ride her bike around town. She also hopes to host several events once Ghost Town Coffee opens.
“That’s one of the things I really want to do,” McGeehan said. “Create a space in town that’s not a bar, where you can hang out with your friends and relax.”
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— photo courtesy of Chloe Rain McGeehan
Hamza Khan is a freelance journalist based on Long Island. He previously worked as a multimedia journalist for Binghamton’s WICZ FOX 40.
