Maggie McIlroy plans to turn a former insurance office on Third Street North into a sourdough-and-soft-serve coffeehouse, with farmers market pop-ups coming first.

McIlroy, an Atlantic Beach resident, told the Jacksonville Daily Record she expects to open Maggie's Coffeehouse at 803 Third St. N. in Jacksonville Beach by summer 2027. The two-story building sits about a half-mile north of Beach Boulevard and a couple of blocks from the ocean.

The building previously housed an insurance office downstairs and an apartment upstairs. McIlroy said the renovation will convert both floors into roughly 1,900 square feet of café space with about 50 seats. The second floor will become a mezzanine overlooking the ground level.

This is McIlroy's first business.

"I finally was just like, 'I'm going to bet on myself and chase this dream that I've had now for a decade,'" McIlroy told the Daily Record.

McIlroy attended Southern Methodist University and later Duquesne University's law school in Pittsburgh before moving to Jacksonville. She worked at Jax Surf & Paddle in Neptune Beach and taught fifth- and sixth-grade English before pursuing the coffeehouse idea.

The menu will feature croissants, pastries, sourdough bread and soft-serve ice cream. Soft-serve doubles as the base for an affogato, espresso poured over ice cream. Coffee will come from La Prima Espresso Co., a Pittsburgh roaster she calls her favorite.

Three signature drinks will be named after her pets: dog Oliver and cats Franklin and Eloise.

McIlroy said she does not have the budget for a full-scale kitchen. Light fare such as breakfast sandwiches, toast and salads is a future goal.

Renovation scope

LAY Construction and architecture firm AE7 are handling the renovation. The work includes upgrading the electrical system, adding plumbing for a coffee bar and bathrooms, structural-support work for the mezzanine, a new staircase, rebuilding the outdoor second-floor patio and reconfiguring the parking lot. New bathrooms will be ADA compliant. The upstairs will only have seating, with nothing offered there that is not also available downstairs, so no elevator or lift is required.

McIlroy said the renovation will likely take four to six months. Permitting is still in progress. She has filed a request for a verification of an exemption with the St. Johns River Water Management District, a step under Florida environmental resource permit rules to determine whether the project qualifies for an exemption from full permit requirements.

What's next

McIlroy plans to sell coffee at local farmers markets before the brick-and-mortar shop opens. She told the Daily Record she expects pop-ups to begin by late October or early November.

McIlroy plans to work at the shop most days and will hire employees, including a manager.