Provo • A counterculture hub — home to artists, musicians, LGBTQ+ individuals and caffeine fiends alike — is at risk of being demolished.
But that doesn’t mean community members in Provo aren’t making an effort to save it. An online petition to keep the coffee shop, called a “cultural landmark,” has drawn more than 2,000 signatures.
Rugged Grounds opened in Provo almost eight years ago, according to Sadie Crowley, who co-owns the business with Skyler Saenz and Claire Buiatti.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Co-owner Sadie Crowley at her Rugged Grounds coffee shop in Provo, on Jan 8, 2025.
A proposal calls for replacing the shop, at 156 W. 500 South, with a new 129-apartment project. Mike Morley, the developer, and Brett Harris the architect, said at a packed planning commission meeting Wednesday that the project is meant to bring affordable housing close to a FrontRunner train station.
Commission member Daniel Gonzales asked Morley if the support shown from the coffee shop in the room makes them reconsider adding a commercial aspect to the housing plan. He initially said “no” but came back during public comment to clarify that response.
During the three-hour public comment period, Bill Peperone, director of Provo’s Development Services, interrupted and said the developer would be “happy” to work with the representatives from Rugged Grounds to see if they can reach a solution — possibly keeping the shop as a commercial space within the new development.
Morley came back to the microphone and said he would “certainly entertain” an idea to work with the coffee shop.
He stressed, however, that a decision on the proposal still was needed because of a deadline with the Utah Housing Authority, since the project has “received approval from the state for tax credit.”
At the beginning of the meeting, Morley said he wasn’t interested in saving any of the structure. “Have you seen the area?” he asked. “There’s really nothing that we would really want to save.”
But later, Harris mentioned the idea of possibly using parts of the old building in the interior design.
In the end, the planning commission approved the project in an 8-1 vote, with the encouragement that the developer work with Rugged Grounds to find a space in the building.
Crowley said Rugged Grounds leases its space from the developer, who is also the landlord. She pointed out that two nearby auto shops and a welding shop, SteelCraft, would also be affected by a demolition.
Boxcar beginnings
Rugged Grounds is a rustic dream, housed in what Crowley said was once a sawmill.
The two-floor shop boasts creaky wood floors and authentic exposed brick and wooden ceiling beams. Everything inside has been reclaimed in some way — a hodgepodge of books from secondhand shops, a wall from an old theater set. White and navy paint peels off the exterior, next to the shop’s signature crescent moon.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Rugged Grounds coffee shop in Provo, on Jan 8, 2025.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Rugged Grounds coffee shop in Provo, on Jan 8, 2025.
Through the years, the coffee shop has become a hub for creative types. When the business first opened, Crowley said, it was a part of a community called “Boxcar,” which was located upstairs and hosted art studios and concerts. When Boxcar moved to Salt Lake City, the coffee shop expanded to two floors.
Crowley said Rugged Grounds is a haven for those who don’t “fit the typical LDS mold” — the “LGBTQ+ community, ex-Mormons in general, or even just people who are coming from out of state or aren’t a part of [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] and feel a severe lack of community in their lives.”
It shows at the coffee shop, where artists sell or display their works. On one wall, customers leave handwritten notes for others. In one, a stranger writes to another stranger, telling the person not to stay at an unenjoyable job. Another reads, “I appreciate you as you are.”
Crowley said Sundays are the busiest day.
“We are the counterculture,” she said. “While everybody is going to church, we have so many people coming to what they call ‘coffee church’ … getting caffeinated, talking ideas, dreams [and] philosophy.”
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Rugged Grounds coffee shop in Provo, on Jan 8, 2025.
Crowley said the heightened population of Latter-day Saints in Provo, home to church-owned Brigham Young University, creates “a unique situation where there is so much camaraderie over coffee.”
“I don’t think anywhere else in the world has exactly that,” she said, “where you see someone drinking coffee and you already know, ‘oh, we have so much in common.’” (Latter-day Saints are taught to abstain from coffee, tea, smoking and alcoholic beverages.)
Bly Wallentine, a musician and the keyboardist of Little Moon, said Rugged Grounds has been her “go-to coffee shop,” which she discovered as part of the Boxcar group.
“Rugged Grounds is one of a few kind of congregational spots for queer people,” Wallentine said. “… These places serving coffee and alcohol and stuff become kind of congregational spots for people who are participating in that [counterculture].”
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Rugged Grounds coffee shop in Provo, on Jan 8, 2025.
Crowley said that a support group for LGBTQ+ university students also meets at the shop, adding that it is the “only walkable third space” remaining in their neighborhood.
“We are surrounded by high-density housing. We are next to the FrontRunner station as well as the Amtrak station,” she said. “Our neighborhood is going to be severely lacking without a third space or a community hub.”
Speaking out for a safe space
At Wednesday’s meeting, baristas shared testimonials of their experiences with customers. Many patrons got emotional. One noted drinking a first-ever cup of coffee at Rugged Grounds. Another sported a shirt that read “Provo Kills Culture.”
A transgender BYU student said Rugged Grounds is the only place they’ve ever felt safe. Another student ‚who said he is gay, told the commission that “Rugged Grounds is one of the few places in Provo where I feel like I can just rest. That’s worth something.”
Peperone, the Provo development director, previously shared a statement on Instagram about the community uproar.
He said it is “unfortunate any time an existing business is interrupted” and went on to explain that the building Rugged Grounds is housed in is not “historically significant” — meaning it “can be demolished at the discretion of the property owner.”
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Rugged Grounds coffee shop in Provo, on Jan 8, 2025.
Peperone also explained that the planning commission must approve any application that meets zoning requirements — even if there is “significant public opposition to the plan.”
In the past, Peperone has spoken about Provo’s plan to tackle Utah’s ongoing housing crisis. In a statement to The Salt Lake Tribune, he detailed how balancing new housing with preserving business and culture can be tricky.
Peperone noted that downtown Provo has three primary zones that “allow mixed uses in one building but don’t require all buildings to be mixed use.” Rugged Grounds is in Provo’s Interim Transit Oriented Development zone, which allows for commercial, office or residential use.
“We tee the ball up for commercial uses on the ground level of apartment buildings,” he said, “but we leave it up to the developer and the market to decide how and when to implement that.”
Peperone said “it would be great if Rugged Grounds was relocated in the new building, but our code would not require it.”
The predicament of Rugged Grounds is another example of this cross between community spaces and the housing needs.
In 2024, vendors at the Redwood Swap Meet in West Valley City got caught in the same tug-of-war. The swap meet is now looking for a new location after more than 60 years at a former drive-in.
Crowley said Rugged Grounds is also scouting for other spots, but, “with the current rent prices, it would be quite difficult.”
Either way, she said, “I’ll be forever grateful for this experience.”
