Almost all of us are familiar with White Rock Coffee, located just west of Ferndale off Northwest Highway.

Fair to say it's an example of successful small business thriving in Lake Highlands.

Now the newest White Rock Coffee is located at 4216 Abrams Road.

There, at the corner of Mockingbird and Abrams, it freely stands in the Hillside Village shopping center.

On July 9th, Nancy and Bob Baker hosted a soft opening at their new location, and they were thrilled to welcome on-the-go coffee lovers to this double drive-thru store.

The original Lake Highlands WRC hosts tables upstairs and down for sipping java, nibbling scones, and clicking keyboards via free wi-fi.

The twist on this second location is the "express" concept, which according to Nancy affords busy moms with kids in the car the ability to grab treats and coffee without having to haul everyone inside.

"We understood, and still understand, how valuable the drive-thru is from birth to age 18," she says.

"We wanted to appeal to the increasing market of busy Lakewood families on their way to and from work, school, and all those extracurricular activities."

That concept extends to the business person who wants a morning cup of coffee but can’t afford the time to park and stand in line.

When construction began back in February, the Bakers were shooting for a Memorial Day opening, in conjunction with the five year anniversary of the Lake Highlands location.

But while the building was complete and the equipment installed, city permits delayed the opening. Once the permits cleared, they decided on the July soft opening, while hammering down plans for the upcoming Grand Opening.

Baristas and bakers alike are ready.

Lake Highlands manager, Cristal Lazaro, has done some tap dancing with the scheduling for both locations, but it's all coming together.

"We’ve got a total of 24 employees, and we’ve been sending them back and forth between locations so everyone can become familiar and comfortable with the new store."

"Six of us took point at the Lakewood store, covering all the cleaning, organizing, stocking and prepping – trying to cover every contingency. That included Nancy and Bob, while Bob stuck to what he does best – roasting!"

Barista Michael Vaughn elaborates.

"Those of us who set up the new shop tested all the equipment. We wanted to make sure everything was working properly and that our product here is just as good as at the Lake Highlands store. An important goal is to assure ease and efficiency for employees working the windows. After all, it’s a double drive-thru!"

Because there’s no indoor seating, though there is a small covered patio at the front of the store, the interior of the new location boasts more work space for on-site baking.

Along with the scones, cinnamon rolls, and sweet breads that customers have come to know and love, new items include lemon pound cake, and the coffee shop namesake, White Rock Coffee coffeecake.

Picking up fresh sandwiches, salads and smoothies at either window make an on-the-go lunch convenient, quick and healthy.

The hours for the new Lakewood White Rock Coffee are Monday - Friday, 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Saturdays from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. & Sundays 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

For more information about the Lakewood location, call 214.792.9767 or click here.