Courtesy Double H Ranch
By Paul Post
The drive-thru beverage brand 7 Brew recently opened its newest store at Queensbury Plaza.
The Arkansas-based company, founded in 2017, is one of the country’s fastest-growing chains, offering coffee, shakes, smoothies, teas, fizzy sodas, lemonade and energy drinks at more than 800 locations in 38 states.
It emphasizes fast service from small, prefabricated drive-thru stands rather than conventional coffee shops with indoor seating.
To attract local customers, the Queensbury store gave away hundreds of free cold drinks, such as flavored lemonade and iced mocha, following its soft opening in late July. An official grand opening with a full menu took place Monday, Aug. 10, and the site will hold Swag Day on Saturday, Aug. 15, giving away free T-shirts from 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. while supplies last.
During its soft opening, the store raised $26,600 dollars in customer donations to benefit Double H Ranch in Lake Luzerne, a year-round camp for children with serious illnesses.
The Queensbury store occupies a previously empty parking lot area on the left side of the plaza’s main entrance at 754 Glen St.
7 Brew now has 17 stands in upstate New York, mostly in central and western New York. Three are in Schenectady, Colonie and Johnstown, and plans call for another store to open in September at 811 Route 146, near Clifton Country Road and Northway Exit 9 in Clifton Park.
7 Brew is one of three new businesses expected to generate significant traffic at Queensbury Plaza. Renovations are underway for a new Burlington clothing store, which will occupy the former Joann Fabrics and Crafts space, and plans also call for a Mexican restaurant, Mi Rancho Alegre, to take over the former Red Lobster site.
New Jersey-based Burlington Stores has 1,150 locations in 46 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The new Queensbury store is part of an aggressive growth plan under which the company aimed to open about 100 stores last year alone.
Burlington Stores is best known as a leading off-price retailer offering brand-name merchandise at significant discounts, typically 20% to 60% below department store prices. In 2014, the company rebranded from Burlington Coat Factory to Burlington Stores to emphasize a much broader range of products.
Burlington will occupy 19,000 square feet, including all of the former Joann store and a portion of the former Tuesday Morning store.
Mi Rancho Alegre has restaurants in Syracuse, Rochester, Hudson and Lake Katrine. Its menu includes tacos, burritos, fajitas and other meat and seafood dishes wrapped in tortillas.