Metro-east mom opened Good Ground Coffeehouse so she can ‘love on people’

Angela Lindquist was a stay-at-home mom for 17 years and homeschooled her two kids, who now attend Belleville East Township High School.

Today she’s a coffeehouse owner whose goal is “to serve coffee and love on people.”

Good Ground Coffeehouse at Scott Air Force Base has been open since Sept. 11. It offers drip coffee, cold brew, lattes – including chai, dirty chai, mocha and white mocha – caramel macchiatos, cappuccinos, Americanos, hot chocolate, tea and Boba teas in a variety of flavors.

Also on offer are smoothie bowls, fruit and yogurt parfaits, cheesecake, and a great selection of baked goods from Berkemann’s Baker’s Dozen in New Baden.

The coffee comes from Mississippi Mud Coffee, a small-batch roaster based in St. Louis.

“They’re wonderful,” said Lindquist of Mississippi Mud president and founder Christopher Ruess and his staff. They’re “so good to talk with and know their stuff.”

Coffee for everyone

“I am a drip coffee person,” said Lindquist, who had to learn about and how to make all of the other coffee drinks and continues to learn as she goes.

Understanding that people have different tastes, she does acknowledge that she will “lovingly guide” some customers who may not know what they want.

We talked about how coffee can be like wine or whiskey as far as tastes, processes, sources and all the details that contribute to a fine beverage. As a person who appreciates wine, Lindquist has noticed that coffee is similar and appreciates it more as she learns.

Her new go-tos are Good Ground’s caramel macchiato, pumpkin spice latte, mocha latte and chai lattes. She learned to make basic versions of each one and then tweaked them.

It feels really good when a customer drinks it for the first time and their eyes get wide because of how good it is, she said.

The first day they served a pumpkin spice latte, one customer said, “This tastes real.”

It was a challenge to figure out the recipes, but she had friends who volunteered to be taste testers. Some samples tasted “mainstream,” like what you’d find at most other coffee shops. Others tasted more unique and “authentic,” she said.

Lindquist opted to go with the authentic and homemade recipes, a brave and wise choice, I thought.

“No complaints yet,” she said.

For now, Good Ground offers drip coffee and espresso drinks. But Lindquist said she’s “always ready to grow.” One day they will offer pour over coffee and more. She will continue testing and adding new recipes.

This will take time.

She doesn’t want to burn out quickly by doing everything all at once. She wants to “keep things simple and grow from that.”

Even what’s available today wasn’t available three weeks ago, said Lindquist, adding that three weeks from now, it’ll all be different again.

“This is the Good Ground way. This is how we do it,” she said.

A bright, welcoming place

The business was previously known as the WIT Café. In March, the Nguyen family, which owned the business, announced on Facebook that after five years, they would “hand over the reins to the new owners.” Lindquist and her husband Scott became the new owners on April 7.

Lindquist said they bought the business, which included the name, drink recipes, equipment and furnishings.

The space underwent a renovation as well as a rebrand, according to Lindquist. There’s a big contrast to what it was before and took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to make it what it is now, she said.

The overall space is airy and is a lot bigger than it appears from outside. I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in.

The WIT Café had a different and darker layout, said Lindquist. Now, the space is bright and cheerful, giving off a welcoming vibe. She wanted to provide a setting that is comfortable and homey.

The eclectic collection of wooden chairs and tables does that. So does the new electric fireplace framed with a couch, pair of armchairs and coffee table. It’s a standard furniture set-up that reminds Lindquist of Central Perk from “Friends.” (Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.)

There are large tables for big groups as well as small tables for four or two. Some of the smaller tables are off to the side, ideal for a coffee date or for that solitary coffee drinker who likes to sit alone and read or write.

Inside the shop is a small bookshelf that features the handmade wares of a local artist. Lindquist said she had the space, and it helps the artists. A different artist will be featured each month. This month, you can check out the items from SEW1980s by Jaby Sanders.

I, in a moment of weakness (which happens a lot), bought a tote bag (that I really didn’t need) depicting a little dragon sleeping on an open book. It’s like the bag was made just for me! It’s super cute!

Customers and community

Lindquist is new to running a business and is learning as she goes. Her favorite part is serving coffee and getting to know her customers.

In addition to Lindquist, the coffeehouse is staffed with three employees, only one of which is an experienced barista.

During the hiring process, Lindquist told applicants that her No. 1 goal is for customers to feel happy and loved when they are there. She wanted her staff to understand that they would be part of making that happen.

Goal No. 1.5 is to provide good coffee.

She must be doing that because she said business is going really well. They already have regular customers, and there are often small groups coming in.

Customer feedback about the coffeehouse and its offerings is always appreciated. Suggestions and ideas to help improve the business are also welcome.

All suggestions shared by customers are considered, said Lindquist. In fact, some of them are already in the works. It makes her happy to let customers’ ideas happen and to show them they’re being heard and making a difference to the business.

She likes the idea of people feeling like Good Ground is their place too.

A large part of her customer base are those who work or are stationed at Scott Air Force Base.

The business is on Seibert Road, just outside the base’s gate. You do not need base access to enjoy the coffee and setting.

Good Ground is “really about our military,” said Lindquist, whose husband is active-duty Air Force.

Many of these folks come from or have been stationed overseas, she said, and if she can offer something that reminds them of those places, she will. Lindquist prioritizes making connections with people to give them a “real taste” of what they might miss moving from place to place.

Lindquist said that people move a lot in the military and that it can feel like you don’t really have a home. But there are those comfort places that make people happy, even if they don’t realize it after they leave. She feels that providing this is important.

Having moved to the area from Hawaii six years ago, Lindquist feels that she and her family have made a home here.

She said it took a while living here to feel comfortable. “I do love this community, what is offered here, the people here,” she said. “I want to be a part of it” and contribute to it.

About Good Ground Coffeehouse

Good Ground Coffeehouse is located at 821 Seibert Road, Scott Air Force Base. Hours are currently 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday-Friday.

For more info, call 618-416-4424 or visit the Good Ground facebook page.