Cafe 254 continues Main Street business investment
By Sarah Villicana
svillicana@portervillerecorder.com
Cafe Main Street 254 is the downtown destination for coffee drinks, breakfast, lunch and pastries. Shawn Schwartzenberger has owned and operated the cafe for just more than a year.
A retired Navy veteran of 21 years, Porterville resident Schwartzenberger served our county from the beginning of 1983 to the end of 2003. He came into the cafe business viewing it as an investment but decided to take it over as a full time job.
Cafe 254 currently specializes in coffee drinks, but the bell of the ball is their brisket, which sells out almost daily.
“We do brisket burritos for breakfast and brisket for lunch,” he said. “The top selling drink is the ‘Golden 254,’ and either the strawberry or banana lattes.” The Golden 254 is a vanilla drink with caramel.
Formally, Swartzenberger, was owner of a local graphics store but decided to change lanes.
“Porterville didn’t really have a lot of coffee shops that offered a variety of food items,” he said. “We give something different other than big chains. It’s not too big; it’s not hustle bustle.”
The employees at Cafe 254 come from family, friends and hires from CSET, Community Services Employment Training.
“We try to give back to the community,” Schwartzenberger said. “Even if it’s just giving gift certificates to a fundraiser. We try to do what we can.”
As far as his aspirations for the future of the cafe, he hopes he can grow to multiple locations. Currently he sees several of his customers coming from the Porterville Courthouse, City Hall and the the Porterville Developmental Center. In the future he anticipates to operate a mobile trailer to sell coffee and food at PDC.
The cafe owner sees Porterville’s downtown expanding as long as they’re economic incentives for more people to open local businesses.
“If Porterville can make some of the empty spots more affordable then they can fill them,” he said.
Swartzenberger recommends other local residents looking to start a business downtown pursue state and federal grants.
Cafe Main Street 254 is open Tuesday through Friday for breakfast and lunch from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
They’re also open Sundays at 8 a.m. As it’s name states it’s located at 254 Main Street.
