An update on the status of Colin’s Coffee.
Read MoreColin's Coffee Update: Thank You, Thank You, Thank You - by Colin Gawel
Staring at the schedule at Colin’s Coffee on April 1st I thought to myself, “This is going to be a long month.” I’m sure most folks felt the same way. Thankfully, it’s almost over and hopefully we can get moving in a positive direction in the near future. As far as the coffee shop goes, I’ve got many people to thank for helping us pull through this time.
Thank you to our amazing customers who have been both patient & generous to each other and our staff. We have had zero problems with social distancing and people still find some time for a quick chat or to check in on a friend. If there is anything essential about Colin’s Coffee it’s being able to provide a little human interaction on a daily basis. I know for a fact that for some people, this is the only place they visit all day. And the tips have been off the charts: the staff and myself can’t thank you enough.
Speaking of customers, a couple of different folks told me I should investigate the Upper Arlington Community Foundation and inquire about their Good Neighbor fund. After some prodding, I sent an email to the website, answered a few questions and within two days they offered to pay my rent due on May 1st. WHAT A HUGE RELIEF!!! So one million thanks to the good people and donors at UACF.
Along those lines, thanks to the #maskedcrusader (Michelle Salsberry), a UA citizen who has been making & selling masks and then donating the profits to local causes and businesses. Colin’s Coffee was lucky to be visited by the #maskedcrusader and receive a donation on her behalf. It was completely unexpected and totally appreciated.
Thanks to our incredible staff here at the coffee shop. When the month of April started and the lockdown was in full effect, I decided it was best for safety purposes to work completely alone. I didn’t want to put anyone else in harm’s way and I knew I could stay away from other people and not put any customers at risk. Plus, it made economic sense to just go DIY full-survival mode. I can work free and apply what money we made to covering bills and keeping the lights on. It’s a lot like touring the country in a van with Watershed, just covering expenses is a win. Lucky for us, all six of our employees are currently live at home and nobody has mortgages or kids or any serious bills to play. They understood the plan that once we survived the lockdown we could hopefully return to normal. Keeping healthy and keeping the lights on were the top two priorities.
Thanks to my wife for suggesting that we use an extra phone we had sitting around at home to set up a Colin’s Coffee text-line. This has been a game changer. With people sitting 15 cars deep in the Starbucks drive-thru, many have started texting their orders to us. We respond to confirm with an estimated pick-up time. We even offer curbside for those that want to stay outside. Details are at the Colin’s Coffee Facebook Page. With the help of the text-line we have shifts available for employees who are able to work, so that is a step in the right direction.
Thanks to Mike Dewine, Jon Husted and Dr. Amy Acton for their excellent leadership. Who knew this was coming? I did. Thanks to them. I happened to catch an early press conference before things got really crazy, but I could tell from listening to them (and following the real news myself) that I better get stocked up in advance for cleaning supplies & cups and mentally prepare for what was coming our way. Their intelligent and decisive leadership in the early stages was very helpful to a small business owner like myself.
Anyway, thanks to all who have helped Colin’s Coffee through this uncertain time. We couldn’t have survived without you. - Colin G 4/30/20
No More Plastic Water Bottles at Colin's Coffee - by Colin Gawel
Colin’s Coffee is getting rid of disposable plastic water bottles. To replace them, we will sell you a water bottle you can refill and reuse for the same price of $2. Did you know it takes every single plastic bottle 1,000 YEARS to decompose and Americans buy 29 BILLION bottles each year? Well, it’s time to take a chunk out of that. If my math is right I figure our new efforts will reduce American’s plastic bottle consumption to just 28.99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999 BILLION each year. Boom.
I know it’s not much, but it’s a start. Being a small business owner it’s a fine line between doing the right thing and paying the bills. I’d love to be able to provide everyone with organic, free-trade hand-crafted paper straws but I just can’t do it and keep the lights on. But here is the good news, you (and me) can use our own straws. Or no straws at all. We can individually make decisions to cut down on waste.
I know I try to do the right thing with decidedly mixed results. I probably bring my own bag to the store 80% of the time? I still pick up a plastic bottle of water on the way to a baseball game now and again. That needs to change. I can do better. From small things big things one day will come. Remember when rock n roll used to be considered pollution? Well, we put our minds to it and made it better. Change is possible.
This all ends up in the trash. Gross.
Colin's Coffee Nominated for Upper Arlington Business of the Year
Colin’s Coffee Nominated for UA Business of the Year
Not trying to jinx it or get a big head, but I thought folks might be interested to learn that Colin’s Coffee has been nominated for the 2018 business of the year by the city of Upper Arlington. The winner will be announced at the State of the City address on Monday January 28th. I’m unsure how this works or who else is nominated, but a quick google search reveals Ohio Health took home the trophy last year, so it looks like we might be in for some stiff competition.
In all seriousness, no matter how it turns out, we are flattered just to be nominated and appreciate the city of UA acknowledging a business as small as ours. It’s a team effort down here at the Golden Bear Center, with our amazing customers and staff leading the way. They really deserve the credit for what gives the coffee shop its special vibe.
Anyway, I will report back on the Colin’s Coffee Facebook page to share the results after the meeting on January 28th. Stay warm. - Colin
FYI - This amazing Colin’s Coffee painting was done by UA Freshman student Ava Taylor. Follow @ Instagram avatays_art
Restaurant coffee in the 1960's tasted like swill - by David Martin
What was on the mind of the writers and editors of the San Francisco Chronicle in 1963? The shitty coffee being served in the city's restaurants.
Chronicle culture writer Peter Hartlaub today marked the 50th anniversary of the paper's war on dismal coffee. The three-part (!) series featured the magical headline "A Great City's People Forced to Drink Swill."
Sample passage:
San Francisco restaurants buy more than three million pounds of coffee every year from processors who profess to instruct them meticulously in its proper preparation.
Yet for all the money the restaurants spend, and for all the effort the coffee companies put forth to make their product palatable, most of it tastes as though it came from some vast common reservoir up behind Twin Peaks in which it had been brewed by the three scrofulous witches in Macbeth.
Now that's public journalism!
Hartlaub's story reminded me of a passage from David Owen's profile of George Meyer, one of the driving forces behind The Simpsons. In the piece, Owen explains that Meyer was hired to work on show largely on the strength of a small humor magazine he published called Army Man.
Despite its modest appearance, Army Man attracted a surprisingly broad and loyal following. It made Rolling Stone's Hot List in 1989, and for years it circulated in samizdat on college campuses. "The only rule was that the stuff had to be funny and pretty short," Meyer told me. "To me, the quintessential Army Man joke was one of John Swartzwelder's: 'They can kill the Kennedys. Why can't they make a cup of coffee that tastes good?' It's a horrifying idea juxtaposed with something really banal — and yet there's a kind of logic to it. It's illuminating because it's kind of how Americans see things: Life's a big jumble, but somehow it leads to something I can consume. I love that."
By the way, the guy who took the pictures for the Chronicle's series on coffee is the same guy who took the picture of the Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima.
Dan Cochran Celebrates the Release of Hilltop Lager by Playing Bass
Four String Brewing Company founder Dan Cochran is no poser. His beer isn't some brand whipped up in an ad agency conference room in Zurich. It was whipped up in his head while playing bass for bands such as Big Back 40, The Lonely Bones and Why Isn't Cheap Trick in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Put simply, the dude brews killer beer. And he also plays bass. On Friday May 12th, Dan will be introducing his latest creation - Hilltop Lager - with an International Can release party at both of his Columbus Four String locations. (click here for more details)
As the party winds down at the taprooms, Dan will be lugging his rig over to Woodland's Tavern to play bass with the semi-legendary bar band League Bowlers. Seems like a very long day for the father of two with another on the horizon. Dan would have it no other way. "Hilltop Lager is a beer for the working man and The League Bowlers are a working man's band. It's a perfect fit. I'm excited to share this new beer with the world and then play some lager fueled rock n roll. I'd have it no other way. Hope everybody can join us at one venue or both."
The Four String Taprooms will be open 4pm until late. The League Bowlers will be onstage at Woodland's Tavern 9:30-11 pm. Admission is FREE to all events
Related reading: English Pub Rock and The League Bowlers. Dan Cochran Talks about playing in Why Isn't Cheap Trick in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? . The Real Story Behind Four String Brew. .