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Posted by on Jul 31, 2014 in Blog, Local Coffeehouse Visit | 0 comments

SPIN Laundry Lounge, Mississippi District, Portland OR

2014-07-28 13.24.04

SPIN Laundry Lounge Coffee & Cafe

Oh happy day!!

Have you done laundry at a laundry mat? Trust me …. the experience can be horrifying! One time I was doing the weekly duty and stepped in doggy doodoo ~ IN the facility !It can feel a bit degrading as a guest. Not anymore!

Enter: SPIN in Portland, OR 

SPIN Laundry Lounge

SPIN Laundry Lounge Cup! They also have their own Permanent Press Blend Coffee Roast!

 

It’s sustainable – She took an old building in a trendy neighborhood and designed it to use less energy then chose the most energy-efficient washers and dryers on the market.

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Posted by on Jan 15, 2014 in Blog, Happiness, Local Coffeehouse Visit | 0 comments

Wanderer Wandering Through Portland in Search of Coffee

I CONFESS … I AM!!

Henry, Gypsy Daisy and I got stuck in the Pacific Northwest. Maybe it was a rut from one of the Oregon Trail or Lewis and Clark Expedition wagons that  helped persuade us, but we’ve made camp for a bit.

... ready to explore Portland's coffee culture!

… ready to explore Portland’s coffee culture!

In January I’ll be starting a tour of the famous, deeply rooted coffee culture here in the Portland area over the next several weeks and will share many of them here on the pages of my blog.  I love to sample the roasts, watch the baristas as their craft and sit along side the regulars it take it all in.

Please share your favorite Portland coffeehouse or specialty roaster with me so I can make sure to find the best.

A toast to the roast!

Lisa

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Posted by on Jun 12, 2013 in Blog, Local Coffeehouse Visit | 1 comment

Our ultimate vision: to keep the small, local independents alive and THRIVING!

Paris on the Platte, Denver, CO

Paris on the Platte’s Sidewalk Sandwich Sign in LoDo, Denver

I had a long conversation yesterday with a coffeehouse owner about the business of owning a coffeehouse … you know, the challenges associated with keeping it going on a daily basis.  “The margin in coffee is just so low”, he said.

His coffeehouse has been in Denver for over 20 years and also has experience in fine dining.  He has chosen to diversify his offerings to include alcohol and live music in the evenings.  The location of the coffeehouse used to be a popular destination, but now sits on a very busy neighborhood street and feels it is lost in the shuffle.

He indicated these as his biggest challenges:

  1. Keeping overhead low; especially getting reasonable pricing on dry goods and condiments from suppliers
  2. Attracting and keeping knowledgeable, involved baristas
  3. Staying abreast of the growing, changing coffee culture both locally and globally in the midst of a 7-day work week
  4. Finding that niche again: offering unique products, services that keep customers returning

This is where I’d love to help by creating a community of coffeehouse owners  to support each other, where they can build camaraderie and brainstorm ideas.  Where I could assist them in building a co-op to purchase products and services that help their bottomline while maintaining a thriving local economy.  Let’s just do it!

Contact me at lisa@thelocalcoffeehouse.com if you’d like to find out more about my vision.

Luvin’ Local, Lisa

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Posted by on Sep 15, 2012 in Blog, Local Coffeehouse Visit | 2 comments

Wild-Flour Bakery, Cafe & Espresso, Lead SD

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This space used to be an Eagles Lodge once upon a time and now is home to a fabulous bakery owned by a mother-daughter team.  Mom was baking in the kitchen and her daughter The space is large enough to house the entire Denver Broncos football team and they have the sweets to satisfy their taste buds.  My favorite was the cinnamon and sugar raised twists …. just like my grandma on my mother’s side used to make at her bakery in Glendale, AZ.

My father, Fred, was raised here in Lead, South Dakota.  I remember when it was a community full of people going places and doing things.  The economy started to slow down when they legalized gambling in Deadwood, its sister town, but it came to a screeching halt when the Homestake Gold Mine closed in 2002.  Now Downtown Lead only gets a few visitors as they are passing through exploring the Black Hills.

This local family took a leap of faith and decided it would be a good time to invest in a business.  And they are not alone.   A block or so down the street is a building that will house a micro-brewery to be started by a family from Oregon.  Then a block from that is the old Masonic Lodge, the one my grandfather and grandmother were members of for decades.

Today is auction day at the Lodge and the streets are lined with cars.  The building and all of its’ belongings were sold to Dakota Plains Auctions as their new primary location for their very successful family business.

As you can see, things are starting to stir again in Lead.   I love that my Dad’s hometown is making a resurgence!

Lovin’  life, Lisa

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Posted by on Sep 10, 2012 in Blog, Coffee News, Local Coffeehouse Visit | 0 comments

Bluebird Cafe, Glenwood Springs, Colorado

Andy lives and breathes organics!   He bakes gluten-free delicacies in his on-site kitchen and roasts his single-origin beans with great dare.  His roaster is at a special location where he can

My sister and I shared his Green Chili Quiche with a GF crust to go along with our rich and delicious americanos.  Gotta tell you, that a week later, I STILL desire the taste of the quiche in my mouth … MmmmmMmm!

Toward the back of the space is a large community table with a LARGE coffee  mug, too.  Betcha I could drink that whole thing full of his Silver Sky Coffee!  

Find out more about his coffee at www.SilverSkyCoffee.com

Visit his shop:
Bluebird Cafe
730 Grand Avenue
Glenwood Springs, CO 81601
(970) 384-2024
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