Thousands turn out for free summer concert as Nicole Henry kicks off the Redlands Bowl Summer Music Festival with powerhouse vocals and crowd connection.
From a coffee cart inside the local retail shop Kith & Kissui, Hooray Coffee continues to grow its customer base, now with a neighborhood café in East Redlands.
Kith & Kissui owners Laura and Rayji Powers brought Nicholas Carlos on board to open a coffee corner by placing a mobile cart between their two stores. The idea came about in 2023, and the cart opened in December that year.
Carlos, who previously worked at Augie’s and later managed a coffee shop importing beans in Orange County, said opening Hooray Coffee brought him back home.
“I honestly just missed being in Redlands,” Carlos said. “The people are so nice.”
Going through the proper channels with the health department and the San Bernardino County Environmental Health Services was a long process. Still, they persisted in creating a coffee cart inside the clothing store.
“San Bernardino told us we were the first one in the entire county that actually got licensed,” Powers said.
Hooray Coffee has since become a countywide example for how to properly license a compact mobile food operation. Other business owners have visited the store to learn from their process.
From left Rayji Powers and Nicholas Carlos at Hooray Coffee in East Redlands. (Photo: Siw Heede)
They also use a second, smaller cart for city events and weddings, typically once a month.
Next up came opening a brick and mortar café in East Redlands, a simpler but still labor-intensive process. Hooray Coffee’s second location opened in April.
The storefront at the corner of East Citrus Avenue and South Dearborn Street had previously been a BK Subs, which closed during the pandemic. Several others had expressed interest in the site, but it sat vacant until Powers and Carlos came along.
Historically, the strip mall was home to Gerrard’s second market location. Today, Beaver Medical Group—now Optum—operates in that space. Bringing a neighborhood café aligns with the original purpose of the strip mall, they said.
Laura Powers designed the café and helped Carlos come up with the name Hooray Coffee, a name meant to be fun, welcoming and uplifting, just like the café’s interior. The mountain views from the windows are an added bonus. “Sip sip hooray,” they write on their social media accounts.
Carlos’ wife, Alecia, manages Kith & Kissui and selects merchandise for the café. The two families’ teenage kids help out too, making the café a true family business. “This is way more fun to do,” said Powers, who works full-time at a solar company but spends more and more time at the café.
For Carlos, introducing a new coffee profile to Redlands has been essential. “We’ve got stuff from China, Vietnam, Thailand and all over the world,” he said.
The café uses beans from Presta in Tucson, Cat & Cloud in Santa Cruz, Onyx in Arkansas and Brandywine in Delaware. Through relationships Carlos built in previous roles, he knows the quality and ethical sourcing of the brands they carry. “I know that they are sourcing quality coffee and that they’re supporting the farmers,” he said.
The new location also offers indoor seating and a gathering space for the community.
Hooray Coffee's neighborhood location in East Redlands (1600 E Citrus Ave) is open daily from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Photos: Siw Heede)
“We have chicken wraps, avocado toast, and we will have paninis and other sandwiches as well,” Powers said. Cyclists who bike to the café receive a 10% discount.
One feature they insisted on was a bar where customers could sit and strike up conversations. “It’s so cool when you get two people that you think would never talk end up chatting for an hour or two,” Carlos said.
Carlos’ love of coffee began at age 19. Around that time, he met his wife, Alecia, at Portofino Coffee in downtown Redlands—where Uncorked Wine Bar now stands. He didn’t start to “nerd out” on coffee until 2012. “Coffee is just what makes me tick,” he said. “But I think the customer service is really more for me.”
“Good quality customer service,” he added. “[Redlanders] want to support local, and I love that.”
Hooray Coffee not only aims to become a neighborhood staple in East Redlands—they also dream of opening an event venue someday.
About Hooray Coffee
Neighborhood location in East Redlands: 1600 E Citrus Ave, Redlands. 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Kith/Kissui location in Downtown Redlands: 5 E Citrus Ave 103, Redlands. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Website: www.hooraycoffee.com Instagram: @hooray.coffee
Siw is the ultimate cheerleader of what happens in Redlands. She is a dual citizen (Danish and American) who likes to write about what is new as much as about the things we take for granted.
