A new coffee shop ready to serve day and night is coming to Azle: Called Pro Libertate Coffee, it’s located in a former dance studio at 150 W. Main St., where it’s slated to open in May.
Pro Libertate comes from Bryan Wallace and his wife, Rene, who’ve had a shared dream of opening a coffee shop for the past eight years. The shop will offer a wide range of coffee and espresso drinks including lattes, cappuccinos, and drip coffee.
Bryan was previously a police officer for the Azle Police Department. This is the couple’s first business.
“The longer and longer I worked in law enforcement, the more I thought coffee’s pretty good and got more serious about it,” Bryan says. “We’d travel all over the US trying different coffee shops, getting an idea of what we did and didn’t like and what we wanted to incorporate in ours.”
Rene and Bryan WallaceCourtesy photo
Brandon wasn’t really a coffee drinker until he got on the police force, then he found that many places didn’t live up to his expectations. Additionally, during his time in law enforcement, there weren’t a lot of late night coffee options.
“Not having an option to get good coffee while I was at work and especially not having good coffee after 6 pm was pretty rough,” Bryan says.
Unlike the typical coffee shop that closes in the afternoon, right before the end of a standard work shift, Pro Libertate will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am until 9 pm. It will provide an option for locals seeking a boost at night.
Supporting local businesses is a big deal to the couple, too. They’ll source coffee beans from the Buon Giorno Coffee location in Fort Worth, which gets beans from South America, Asia, and Africa. Sparkling and bottled water will come from Mineral Wells-based Crazy Water. Sodas and more will come from Dublin Bottling Works out of Dublin, Texas.
Plus, they’ve partnered with Veal Station Market, and Amish market in Springtown, for baked goods and pastries.
Overall, Pro Libertate aims to cater to all demographics of the town, including children.
“We’re going to have a dedicated kids play area so moms and dads in the middle of the day can have a place to enjoy coffee with friends and let kids play,” Bryan says. “I think it’s a pretty good thing we’ll offer that doesn’t have a lot of competition in the area.”
