After a bit of back-and-forth on whether its doors would stay open, Identity Coffee Lab in Rindge has announced it is officially in town to stay, and the company is also expanding to an additional location in Fitchburg, Mass.

Co-owner Britney Cashman said that when the new Fitchburg location, which opened for a soft launch this month, was originally planned, the Rindge store was expected to close, though she and her husband, Jonathan, had been seeking ways to keep it operating. One potential solution fell through, and the couple announced in December that the store would be closing – but a few weeks later, they were able to reverse that decision and relaunch the store in the new year.

The Cashmans purchased the business in November 2022 from founder Brendan Ojala, and almost immediately began to expand to new locations, opening their second location at Mount Wachusett within two months. The expansion has only continued since.

“We were able to come through at the very end, and keep the Rindge location while also moving forward with the Fitchburg location. It was a bit of a roller coaster ride – we were fighting for it,” Britney said.

Identity Coffee Lab has been a growing brand, with permanent full-time locations in Rindge, Meredith and now Fitchburg, with seasonal locations at the ski lodges for Wachusett Mountain and Loon Mountain.

“It’s been going really well,” Britney said.

The Cashmans are preparing for an official grand opening celebration for their Fitchburg location in February, but said that there will be some changes for the Rindge location, as well. As part of the relaunch, the Rindge location is under the helm of a new manager, local resident Sarah Gauvin, which Britney  said was part of the puzzle to keeping the Rindge location.

“We needed someone full-time there that was connected and passionate about the community and seeing Rindge flourish and that’s been Sarah – she’s been doing a great job,” Britney said. “Exciting things are coming to the Rindge location that we’ve been wanting for a long time and just not had the bandwith for.”

Those changes include live music nights, holiday promotions, some light renovations to the shop and an expansion to the menu that will include more sandwiches and breakfast items.

“There are some positive changes coming,” Britney said.

The Rindge location of Idenitity Coffee Lab is open from Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Fitchburg location is open Monday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.