With spooky season right around the corner, students can look forward to the opening of the Geedunk Cafe on Wood Street. One of many businesses owned and operated by local entrepreneur, Dillion Marody, the Geedunk Cafe is currently undergoing renovations in preparation for its grand opening.

Also a local, Marody plans for the coffee shop to function as a place for the entire community to connect. Once open, he plans to host events such as movie nights, game nights, open mics, and simply a place for the community to come together.

While this coffee shop was projected to open in the summer, the grand opening got pushed back to fall because of renovation delays.

Owner, Dillion Marody, received some negative comments about this delay, but did not let this discourage him. Instead, it motivated him to work harder for the opening of this cafe.

This coffee shop will also provide students and locals with job opportunities. Up to this point, Marody has mostly employed family members like his brother, Bubs, and his stepdaughter, Alayna. Running a coffee shop will require a lot more labor though, and Marody plans on enlisting outside help from both students and community members.

Marody is the owner of a line of other shops along Wood Street, including The Black Cat’s Mage (formerly Cast & Conjure) and The Hooch Skateshop. The newly renovated and revamped Black Cat’s Mage will be re-opening Tuesday, October 8.

Along with the incoming coffee shop, Marody also plans to develop both a construction company office and a real estate office in the other two units of the building he purchased in February of 2023. The opening of these businesses will also offer more job opportunities to the community.

Marody stumbled upon this string of empty buildings one day after returning from the Navy while skateboarding past with his son, Chevy. Originally from Fredericktown, this particularly upset him because he remembered how lively the town used to be during his visits.

Chevy then asked his dad, “Why not buy the building?” Thus, he embarked on a journey to make his son’s dream a reality while also transforming California for the better.

Getting to this point was not easy though, before he purchased the building, Chevy, who was only seven at the time, had been hit by a drunk driver in California. After this, Dillion focused on healing his son’s physical and mental health, while his businesses were put on the backburner.

However, he did have much support from his team through this time, which he refers to as “The Hooch Family.”

Through these shops, Marody hopes to better California as a whole by filling the empty storefronts that were left scattered throughout the town.

Moving forward, Marody hopes to purchase more buildings in the area to hopefully establish ideas he has, like a retro gaming shop or a family restaurant.

With these businesses, Marody hopes to show people, specifically the younger generations, that owning your own business is attainable.

Making a living from things like designing skateboards is possible—take it from Dillion. He is a firm believer that even if you aren’t the “college type”, you can still succeed.

As mentioned earlier, Marody’s family helps run the shops, so at the same time, he is also mentoring them in owning and running their own businesses.

So far, Marody has received nothing but positivity from the community and students from PennWest California, which is only a couple of blocks from Marody’s shops.

“I am so excited for this coffee shop to open,” said Kaitlin Iverson, a junior majoring in early childhood education. “I can’t wait to have a new spot that’s close by, but still off campus to do homework or just to sit and talk with friends!”

Iverson previously visited the skate shop some time ago and noted that the people who owned the businesses were some of the nicest people she had met.

Students and community members alike have a lot to look forward to with the opening of this coffee shop approaching.