Coffee Shop Gets New Owners

By John Larson

Socorro’s venerable coffee shop between California Street and the Plaza is going through another incarnation after being sold June 26 by Patty Frisch.
The new owners of Manzanares Street Coffeehouse, Eileen Comstock and Warren Marts, are known and respected by most everybody in Socorro.
Marts has been active in Socorro’s theater scene for many years, and Comstock is known as the director of the Community Band, as well as her work in the medical community.
According to Marts, there will not be a big difference in the operation of the coffeehouse, but there may be a couple of new faces behind the counter.
“Six of the eight staff members are staying on,” he said. “We will basically have the same menu with some new baked goods added.”
He said all the favorites from the old menu will remain, including gelato.
Marts, who admits he has been a coffee fanatic since buying his first espresso machine in 1991, said the quality of the coffee beans is important to him.
“We will always have fresh whole roasted beans from our supplier. We grind them here and try to use them up within two weeks of being roasted,” he said. “We’ve added a new organic coffee from Guatemala There’s nothing better than fresh roasted coffee.”
Although Marts, as the on site manager, has an office upstairs, regular customers may see him working on the coffee shop floor at one of the tables.
“I’m happy to have everything the way it has been,” he said. “It’s a nice place to sit and have a great cup of coffee.”

Coffee Shop Gets New Owners