A Franklin staple has a fresh look.
Benjamin’s, the well-established bakery, coffee and sandwich shop on Court Street, its home since the 1980s, underwent several changes in the last three years, including three different owners.
When it was announced this summer that Benjamin’s would be sold yet again, local business owners Kim and Leo Brosnan jumped at the opportunity to own a little piece of the city in the heart of downtown. The Brosnans were already owners of another local store, Scoops and Treasures, an ice cream shop and boutique in New Whiteland.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryThey had discussed moving their shop to either Franklin or Greenwood at some point, and Benjamin’s “just fell in their lap,” Kim Brosnan said. Now, the busy couple will close their New Whiteland shop at the end of the year, she said.
At the new Benjamin’s Scoops and Treasures, the Brosnans integrated Hershey’s ice cream into the menu, and kept the rest of the restaurant’s classic sandwiches, such as the “Flying Kite,” and “Chicken Bacon Ranch Panini,” coffee and bakery items on there too. It’s also open later, until 7 p.m. during the fall, and on Sundays, a treat in itself for nearby college students.
Kim Brosnan, a Franklin native, was excited to take ownership of an established café, one that already had its place in the city. Their goal is to bring Benjamin’s back to its “glory days,” she said.
“People really liked Benjamin’s, the store that is was way back when it first opened,” Kim Brosnan said. “People know it. We get a lot of business from the college kids and the courthouse.”
But getting to this point was not easy.
Benjamin’s had to undergo a major renovation before it could open its doors again, Kim Brosnan said.
When the Brosnans took ownership of the store in early August, the Johnson County Health Department shut it down, and gave the new owners a laundry list of items that needed to be fixed.
Kim Brosnan described the state of the store as “very dirty” all around. The floor was rotting in places due to leaks in the broken soda fountain. New lighting had to be installed because the store was too dark.
On top of fulfilling all of the health department’s requirements to reopen, the owners wanted to put in an ice cream cooler and flip the counter to the other side of the store to add a walk-up window in the alley on the south end of the building.
The project took a little more than a month to complete before the new Benjamin’s Scoops and Treasures could open.
Taking on Benjamin’s traditional menu items on top of their ice cream business has been a bit of a challenge, especially since both Brosnan’s have additional jobs outside the business, Kim Brosnan said. Leo Brosnan is an engineer, and Kim Brosnan works part-time as an ultrasound technician.
The store has three managers now, and a full-time baker to help with the workload. Kim Brosnan tries to visit the store at least three days a week, mostly to handle new shipments of food and supplies. A challenge, they’ve learned, is keeping enough supplies in house, she said. The building is small, so there is not a lot of room for food storage.
“There are a lot of supplies going through here, so we’ve really got to stay on top of it, and I won’t tell you it’s not been a struggle because it has,” Kim Brosnan said. “Especially with the food here and not much space to store things. We have shipments coming in three days a week.”
Another tricky task was learning how to use the espresso machine, she said.
“The food is easy, but the whole espresso thing has been a challenge for me … there’s a lot working parts that go into making a good cup of coffee,” Kim Brosnan said.
Despite the challenges, they look forward to being a part of the Franklin community for a long time.
“People around here are super friendly. The town is super helpful. It’s just been a blessing for people to help us take off,” she said. “People thank us for bringing it back.”
