An agriculture-themed mural adorns the side of a building along Hastings' historic Main Street. The mural was painted by artist Kelsey Montague in 2025. | Noah Hertz, Jacksonville Today
Published on January 12, 2026 at 12:15 pm
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A new Dunkin coffee shop in the small St. Johns County community of Hastings marks the latest in the area’s economic growth.
In recent years, a concerted effort from local organizations and business owners has focused on bringing attention to the once-bustling community in the southwest part of the county.
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The new Dunkin coffee shop opened Friday at the intersection of Hastings’ historic Main Street and State Road 207, a busy thoroughfare that connects St. Augustine to Palatka.
Much of the area’s recent growth has focused on mom-and-pop businesses, but leaders from Hastings Main Street, the nonprofit organization leading the charge to revitalize the community, don’t see the new Dunkin franchise as a threat to their work.
Jena Dennis, chair of the organization’s board of directors, says she is happy to see new jobs coming to the area.
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“The location along West Church Street and U.S. 207 has long been identified as an appropriate corridor for larger corporate and franchise businesses,” Dennis says, “while our historic Main Street district continues to focus on supporting and highlighting small, locally owned businesses and community-driven revitalization efforts.”
The future in Hastings
Among the locally owned small businesses on Hastings’ main street is another coffee shop. Hastings Coffee Co. co-owner Charmane Williams says she doesn’t feel threatened by the new coffee shop on her turf.
She says she’s happy to see the community grow and hopes the new Dunkin franchise will hire from the community.
“I think those who enjoy our spot will continue,” Williams says. “We hope more people will try us too. But, Dunkin fits a need for different customer needs. I do think there is room for both. Maybe even more in the future.”
The new Dunkin is operated by franchisees St. Johns Donuts. That company is composed of a handful of local owners including John Griffey.
The new location in Hastings is the 16th Dunkin location St. Johns Donuts owns in Florida. According to a spokesperson for the group, they are also eyeing Crescent City and the SilverLeaf planned community for future coffee-and-doughnut shops.
So why pick Hastings for their newest location? Griffey says it’s all about investing in a community that is growing and changing.
“Why not Hastings?” he says. “It’s a wonderful community, and it’s a place I’ve always felt connected to. I grew up around here, so opening a restaurant in Hastings really felt like going back to my roots. At the same time, the area is growing quickly, the road is busy, and we saw a real opportunity to invest in a town that’s moving forward.”
The Jacksonville Daily Record reported last summer that the unincorporated community’s occupancy rate for downtown businesses rose from 80% to 90% since 2023.
That includes additions like a bakery, a coffee shop and more.
There’s even more on the way too, like a new library and community center, courtesy of the county, and a First Coast Technical College satellite campus.
