LA GRANDE — Three years after the Texaco gas station closed in downtown La Grande, the site is now occupied by The Local — downtown’s newest coffee and ice cream shop — which opened Friday, June 25.

The menu consists of coffee drinks, tea, milkshakes, ice cream and various pastries.

According to manager Randy McPhetridge, the most important part in opening the shop was making sure the product was high quality.

“We know our product is good. We’re using the best stuff, so we’re just excited to get customers driving through so we can deliver them these high-quality products,” McPhetridge said.

For now, only the drive-thru is open, although customers may go inside to order beverages to go.

“The drive-thru will be opening first, and with a limited menu until we get everyone trained,” co-owner Karin Tsiatsos said.

According to fellow co-owner Gust Tsiatsos, the inside of the shop will not officially open until all the windows are installed and another emergency exit is put in. He expects this to take at least 30 days.

Gust and Karin Tsiatsos bought the old gas station at 1508 Adams Ave. in the fall of 2020 with the help of a $64,000 grant from La Grande’s Urban Renewal Agency.

As Eastern Oregon University alumni, the couple hope to make The Local a gathering place for college students.

“One of our goals was to provide a place specifically for the college students to be able to come down and have a place to go and study and have a drink,” Karin Tsiatsos said. “We’re a college town, but there’s not really any downtown college presence, there’s not many great places to come downtown and study.”

The owners have big plans for the shop, which has an ample outdoor seating area.

“We’ll be having some live music throughout the summer. We’ve talked with some clubs on the (EOU) campus that want to host events in the fall, so hopefully it can become a small venue for these types of events,” Karin Tsiatsos said.

The Tsiatsos family is no stranger to opening new businesses. Through their company GCT Land Management — a general contracting and rental management business — they own several properties in the area, including The Landing, a micro-boutique hotel and restaurant just across the street from the new coffee shop.

According to Karin Tsiatsos, the couple wants to be involved in the community and help make downtown a more attractive place for people of all ages.

“We want to be community-minded. We just really are here for our town and want to be involved and be open,” she said. “We want to provide a space for people to hang out, and we’re excited about seeing development downtown. Let’s give people a reason to come downtown.”