04/13/2026
Hello Sparta! This is an announcement in regard to the recent uproar about the changing of the antique car show parking lot area.
As I’m sure many of you have heard, the city has decided to make some changes for the parking for the classic car show that commences in the summer once a month, every year. There have been reports of people and/or businesses located on the Square complaining about the car show and how it takes away the parking area for our customers. It’s been assumed that we, The Coffee Collective and Marioochi’s Pizzeria are the businesses that have caused the complaints and the changes for parking as directed by the city.
To clarify, The Coffee Collective has been open for almost a whole decade now and we’ve welcomed the car show, as has the pizzeria. For us, it’s just another summer event that brings us more visibility as a business, even if parking is a bit trickier for our regulars. We have always respected the traditions and the other events that take place on the Square such as the Lester Flatt Day celebration.
For those of you that don’t know, our owners also own and operate Marioochi’s pizzeria and they’ve been open several years now as well. We are small, family run businesses and we have put so much into them. It’s not just about making money (if we wanted big money, we wouldn’t be in the restaurant business 😅). It’s about passion for people and great products.
For us, the opening of The Coffee Collective and the pizzeria have always been about providing a place for you, your friends or family to gather and experience a sense of community together whilst sipping upon a delicious coffee or eating a specially handcrafted pizza. We’re here for the people, not just what makes us more profitable.
We believe the car show is another wonderful opportunity for the people of Sparta and surrounding areas to experience fellowship and camaraderie, and we definitely don’t want it to end or be changed beyond recognition.
We’d again like to reiterate our thanks and gratitude for spending your hard earned money at our establishments over the years. We greatly appreciate this community supporting us over the last decade or so.
We hope the city of Sparta has heard all of your complaints about the issue at hand, and we also hope that somehow the city can come up with a solution to make everyone happy/happier.
Meanwhile, please continue to support all of the local, family run businesses here in Sparta. We’re fortunate to have a growing and extensive list of locally owned businesses here in our little city and not just on the Square. We simply can’t do it without you all. Also the money you spend with these small businesses goes right back into the community- and that’s what it’s all about.
Thanks for reading if you made it this far, hopefully we’ll see you soon ❤️
