Artwork

We recently installed art by Curtis Miller on Uptown's front wall, and one additional piece of Curt's next the fireplace. Curt and Sarah Miller own the building right behind ours on N. Michigan Ave. A few years ago Curt had a great sale on many examples of his work, and we were lucky to be able to acquire some. We really love the simplicity and color of the pieces. We will keep rotating in guest artists on our back wall. Here is a link to Curt's web page about his art.

Latte art...

If you've ordered a cappuccino or latte with no whipped cream lately from Uptown, you may have been pleasantly surprised to see some nice latte art on top. Thanks to Gregory and Aiden, our customers have been able to enjoy hearts and rosettas on the top of some drinks. Latte art is the careful pouring of the steamed/foamed milk on the espresso shots in a particular way that results in a nice pattern or design on top of the finished drink. I think it's pretty darn cool, particularly since I've been wanting to try this myself for years! If you're curious what a rosetta is, check my Facebook fan page for a pic.

I've got proof...

...that people really do appreciate good coffee. Maybe they can't afford to buy the good stuff everyday-but I'm pretty sure they know the difference. I'll tell you why:

Uptown's first generation coffee brewer is on permanent loan at the new Howell DDA/Main Street office around the corner at 122 State St. We upgraded to a better, higher-volume brewer at Uptown, so the old one was just gathering dust and I figured why not have good "office coffee?"

One of my goals upon taking the job as Howell Main Street/DDA Director was to increase volunteerism, community participation, and attendance at committee meetings. I joked with many committee members after moving in to the new office in December about what "great" coffee will have on tap here for meetings. I didn't realize how much that meant to them until a committee member showed up for a 2:30 p.m. meeting asking for a cup of coffee! I thought she was joking, but soon realized the seriousness of the situation when she showed genuine disappointment that a fresh pot was not steaming ready. Another office worker in a nearby law office randomly poked her head in asking for a warm up of her morning coffee from home!!

I usually brew some coffee for early morning meetings at our State St. office. These meetings, I have discovered, are surprisingly well-attended. This, my friends, has become my primary strategy for increasing participation in Howell Main Street! This also proves that people, more and more, are seeking good coffee!

Harvest Coffeehouse and Beanery in Bay City, MI

When we travel we love to visit other independent coffeehouses. Before coming to the island, we found the Harvest Coffeehouse and Beanery at 810 Saginaw Street. After many travels to independent coffeehouses in cities all over, it's still really hard to find a decent espresso-based drink. So, I have to admit that my expectations are generally low when I walk into a coffeehouse. However, on this trip, I was very pleasantly surprised and pleased when I tried the cappuccino at this coffeehouse. I brought Lorna back the very next morning and got talking with the new owner, Erin. Erin tells me he recently bought this from his brother and will be re-launching the coffeehouse under a new name. He also mentioned he had recently joined Baristaexchange.com, so I told him I'd try to find him and add him as a friend on that quickly-expanding network. Erin roasts his own beans and is learning the ropes from his brother, who will keep the Harvest name for their coffeehouse they recently opened in Frankenmouth. Roasting your own adds a whole new skill set and complicating process to your cafe operation, and they do a great job. Their espresso was rich, creamy, full, chocolaty, and just fantastic. If you're in Bay City, check them out!

Marketing to Generation "Y"

Here I am with another post after two years of nothing. No one told me that life would get so busy with a child!? However, I want my rededicate my efforts to get and stay web 2.0 these days. This includes with the coffeehouse and my job as Howell DDA/Main Street Director. Apparently, generation "Y" won't discover Howell without the use of new technology, specifically, their cell phone. I just finished a Michigan Downtown Revitalization Conference in Bay City which was all about the future of marketing, particularly to generation "Y." This generation was born between 1979 and 1994, but can't be defined only by age. They are also defined by behavior. The more I discover new ways to use my cell phone/blackberry/MP3 player, or whatever this device is, the quicker I become more like Generation Y, despite my 36 years. The keynote speaker was Marianna Hayes, from Team Halo Consulting. She was really inspirational and had great information on marketing to this generation. Oh, by the way, this generation represents 45% of the world's population. So, if you're in business you better be thinking of this.

I'm actual writing from Mackinac Island at this moment. We decided to keep heading north after the Bay City conference. Lorna and I wanted to show Julian where we got married in 2000. We have a lot of great memories from our wedding and other trips we've taken to the island. Many think it's corny, but there's an undeniable charm, too. Can you say "no cars?" It's not many places you can here the clip-clop of horses hooves anymore.

EDITED: As the City of Howell Main Street/DDA Director and downtown small business owner, I think a lot about downtown revitalization. Howell leaders had the fortitude to embrace the Main Street Program, which is a proven approach to downtown revitalization. As regional malls, suburbanization, and strip and big-box commercial came into being, many small towns across America struggled to compete. The Main Street program was developed as a comprehensive approach to bring back downtowns. It is a proven approach for success, but must be pursued in earnest and focus.

Part of the global problem has been simply the choices people made in shopping for convenience and price, and ignoring the value of quality products, service, and perhaps most importantly - supporting independent locally-owned businesses. The result has been an economic shift to larger, cheaper, more convenient, corporate-owned businesses,where money flows out of the community. Supporting a local business will keep the money within the community a lot longer. Make no mistake-I am NOT opposed to corporate-owned stores. In fact, small, independent coffeehouses everywhere owe some of there success to the impact that Starbucks has made on our culture - people looking for that "Third Place" between work and home.

However, the success of our small towns rests with the support of the small business owner, the entrepreneur, and the "mom-and-pop" stores. While corporate stores may locate and invest in downtowns, a downtown without proper balance of local and regional investment is unhealthy. I would submit that the presence of some corporate investment is a healthy sign that can lend credibility to downtowns. However, every dollar put in a local owner's pocket is more likely to be spent at local stores and restaurants, and on local services.

Inevitably, the money taken in by local owners is diffused regionally, nationally, and internationally due to inadequate local choices to spend this money. However, the more local businesses are supported, the more new local businesses open, and hence more opportunity to support the local economy. Interestingly, I was at 16 Hands Gallery in Ann Arbor a few months ago and picked up a postcard about Think Local First, a network of locally-owned businesses that is all about the many ways supporting local business benefits and is more gratifying to you and your community. I really loved the back of the card, listing the seven reasons to shop local. I plan on exploring the membership benefits and consider joining.

Our specialty coffee roaster, supplier, and partner, CrimsonCup understands the value and impact of locally-owned businesses. They also understand what it takes to support and grow small businesses. This includes supporting the community around you. They recently helped us run a nurses promotion in May and will assist us with a back-to-school promotion in September. Part of their latest brand evolution is a "Drink Local" mark, which we really dig. Look for t-shirts and mugs at Uptown soon with this on the back.

What do you think the role of locally and corporate-owned stores should be in downtown revitalization? How can we get the message out about the value of supporting locally-owned businesses?

A new baby boy!

Well, a lot has happened to Lorna and me since April. A little baby boy, Julian, has transformed our lives. He is really something special. The photo was taken today, on his 3-month birthday.

Now that we have joined the world of parents, I have a whole new appreciation for parenting - at least the first 3 months of raising a baby. I really look forward to the future. Yes, it will be challenging but I couldn't be more excited about it.

Uptown has been humming along with our current fantastic crew. Leslie, our manager, has given us peace-of-mind that we've never known. Thanks, Leslie! We haven't been around much, so it's nice to have someone minding the store. For Uptown customers that wonder about us, you will see us periodically - usually with baby and stroller. You'll also see us working an occasional shift on the weekend.

Welcome to a blog for Uptown Coffeehouse

Welcome to the Uptown Coffeehouse blog. Check back for future posts.

This is a true experiment for us. Will it simply be random information, stories, anecdotes, and links or could it be a whole new way for us to communicate with our customers? This remains to be seen...