Eric LeGrand's Woodbridge Coffee Shop Will Open This Saturday

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — Woodbridge's own Eric LeGrand announced on his Instagram account his new coffee house will have its grand opening this Saturday, May 14.

LeGrand Coffee House is located on the ground floor of Avenue + Green, the new apartment building at 10 Green Street (Rahway Ave. and Green Street, the former Lucas Chevrolet dealership property), just steps away from the Woodbridge train station.

There will be an official ribbon cutting with the town at 11 a.m. this Saturday.

Avenue + Green consists of 232 luxury apartments, a pool in the back and 12,000 square feet of retail space.

LeGrand Coffee House is their very first ground-floor retail tenant. Prior to this LeGrand had been selling his coffee online, through Instagram and the shop's website: https://legrandcoffeehouse.com...

Starting this Saturday, you can buy a cup of joe from LeGrand's brick-and-mortar store.

"I plan on doing some pretty cool stuff (with the coffee house)," LeGrand told NJ.com last March. "Partnering with local businesses, maybe we'll have a Rutgers viewing party for a road game. I plan on having people rent it out for events after-hours (closing time will be 7 p.m.) — book clubs, open mic night, foundation meetings, hopefully bring some new faces to our town."

LeGrand grew up in Avenel and he still lives in Woodbridge. He also launched a beer line, partnering with Bolero Snort Brewery in Carlstadt to create BULLIEVE, a coffee blonde ale made with LeGrand Coffee House’s signature Costa Rican beans, NJ.com reported.

LeGrand was a football star at Colonia High School and went on to a promising Division 1 college career at Rutgers University.

However, it was during a 2010 Rutgers-Army game that tragedy stuck: LeGrand took a hard hit and suffered a traumatic spinal cord injury.

At the time, LeGrand recalled lying on the Rutgers football field, unable to breathe and thinking he was going to die. He is now paralyzed and uses a wheelchair.

LeGrand did not let this stop him: He continues to give motivational speeches and in the past few years, he developed a business from his side passion: Coffee.

"It's been such a humbling moment to see the outpour of support," he told NJ.com. "People really love coffee, and when they try our coffee, they say, 'Wow, this is amazing stuff.'"

According to Woodbridge Twp., LeGrand did not get any special type of rent breaks from either the town or the developer to rent the space.

"He did not ask for, nor was he granted anything," said Woodbridge town spokesman John Hagerty. "He did this and put this together on his own. It's a wonderful thing."

Back in 2018, one of the developers from Avenue + Green told Patch why they were eager to build in Woodbridge (they also were given tax breaks from the town):

"Woodbridge is experiencing a renaissance, and this property sits in the heart of its walkable downtown, right next to the station," said Prism principal partner Eugene Diaz at the time. "It is a perfect spot for luxury, fully-amenitized apartment homes ... The appetite for multifamily rental – especially transit-oriented product – continues to exceed supply throughout New Jersey and nationwide."

Prior: Eric LeGrand To Open Coffee Shop By Woodbridge Train Station (March 2021)

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