After January Fire, Local Owner Ready to Serve Again

(12/3/2004) After nearly a year of the once active Ragged Edge Coffeehouse sitting quiet, Jake Schindel, General Manager, is opening the doors December 3 to start business again. Ragged Edge, located at 110 Chambersburg Street in Gettysburg, opened their doors at 6 AM this morning.

While Ragged Edge was closed, Jake and his father, Philip Schindel, reopened Jasper’s Juice Works last spring with business partner Robert Casko. Jaspers, located at 51 Chambersburg Street, closed their doors for the season in October. The offerings once found at Jasper’s will migrate down the street to the Ragged Edge. The combined offering will include juices, smoothies, coffee, espresso, sandwiches, soups and salads. All of the coffees will be fair-trade and organic varieties.

The January fire left 11 families homeless and destroyed an Adams Rescue Mission three-family shelter. The Ragged Edge’s damage included 3 feet of water in the basement, water damage to the rest of the building and 4 inches of ice buckled sidewalks. Jake and his father decided to make the best of things, and took advantage of the misfortune to strip the coffeehouse to the core in March and rebuild.

The new interior includes a new layout, new lighting, floors, and bright paint schemes. A new heating system has replaced the radiators, allowing for interior redesign to rooms. A new second-floor stage will be constructed for live performances that had become part of the draw for the Ragged Edge. A new sound system will also be added, carrying music throughout the entire coffeehouse. Another staple at Ragged Edge was the wonderful array of local art that decorated the walls, enticing patrons to take one home. That art will reappear slowly as the reconstruction continues.