2015 - HERE WE COME!!!!

Dear favoritest (that’s a word today) of peeps,

Happy New Year!  2014 was such a blast and we plan on carrying all of that excitement over to 2015.  We’ll add a dash more for good measure too.

Buuuuut, before we get to 2015 news, we wanted to take a quick look back at 2014 and see how we accomplished (or missed) some of our key goals.

1)    Coffee Education and classes – We finally rolled out our somewhat weekly coffee classes.  While we still haven’t finalized a “coffee club” program, we are brainstorming.

SoProJoeBro leading our first coffee class

2)    Coffee Brewing – We introduced several new brewing processes to our line-up, but we don’t feel like we’re quite finished yet.

Drip.  Drip.  Drip.

3)    Retail – We added many an item to our roster of products, but still need to get a few more toys and gadgets to feel like we are where we want to be.

Josh, Jillian, Alex, and Zach showing off the goods.

Okay and now…

Hand Models!

 Onward to 2015!  We spent a lot of time in 2014 laying a foundation we would be proud of for future growth.  Now, our building blocks are starting to take shape and we are feeling extremely giddy for new, crazy, cool things.  So, in no particular order, here are our 2015 Fun-zies:

1)    We’ll keep expanding our coffee education classes and solidify a “Coffee Club” program

V60 - doing its thang!

2)    We’ll keep adding to our coffee brewing items.  New things are coming soon!  Just wait and see.

Maybe something cooler than this gadget.

3)    We’re about 60% of the way to where we want to be with retail products, but we should have quite the additions in 2015 for all the coffee geeks out there.

4)    Food – hmmm, we think we have some stuff in the works. 

5)    Expansion – We don’t know, but sort of we do. 

GUYS!!!!! We are pumped for 2015.  Think it’s going to be a pretty big year and we’re so happy we get to share it with all of you!

So much coffee love,

A Cup of Common Wealth Coffee-slinging, Michael Jackson-listening, high-fiving, band of bandy-kook baristas!

Being Thankful

As 2014 comes to a close we can’t help, but look back on what a wondrous year we’ve shared with all of you.  It was our first full year being open and, like 2013, it was full of some crazy experiences and unforgettable memories.

Several coffee-slingers left us and followed their own dreams in 2014 and, man, was it bittersweet.  We wish every single one of them the best of luck and always encourage them to come back, grab a seat, and have a cup of coffee with us.

Saying goodbye to Basil at Keeneland

While we did lose some people this year, the silver lining was the awesome people that joined us.  On any given day you can come in and see Alex, Zach J., Bonnie, Evan, Allison, Zach W., and Shivani – all of which have brought their own nuanced personalities to the shop.  Not to mention, you can still see some familiar faces:

Miss Katie – who’s been with us for just about a year now and still nails high-fives with the best of them, pulls off some amazing dance moves, and is always out and about in the community spreading the shop love.

Mister Jeff – who’s been with us for a year and a half and still offers puns to just about anyone, makes some tall rosettas in lattes, and ensures the shop is fully stocked for all of you.

Mister Joe – who’s been with us since the very beginning and can talk about coffee, beer, wine, bourbon, music, and everything in between.  He’s a coffee legend in the making and we love that we get to be a part of it.

Christmas Dinner ~ Back Row (Left to Right): Zach W., Zach J., Katie, Joe, Jeff; Middle Row (Left to Right): Alex, Evan, Sal, Allison, Bonnie; Front Row: Shivani

Along with the addition of some new faces, we also added some new products and with it some changes came about in our little shop.  Our old condiment bar turned into a giant retail unit - full of coffee, mugs, chocolates, teas, and even some t-shirts.  Our new condiment bar (the brainchild of Miss Alex Canada) popped up one afternoon with the help of so many people that were just hanging out in the shop, then noticed all of us unsuccessfully playing with tools. 

Ooooohhhh…we can’t forget about the addition of Sunday night coffee classes.  Mr. SoProJoeBro shares his knowledge of coffee with anyone that wants to participate in a Sunday night coffee class.  Classes have ranged from the regions of coffees, to chocolate and coffee pairings, to just making some tasty coffee.

And, that’s all the little stuff!  The big stuff, the stuff that makes you go home and feel all the happiness…well, there was quite a few:

-       One of our most regular regulars, Jack Attack, is now clear of cancer.  To mark the day he found out, he taught us how to do the jitterbug in the middle of the shop.

Jack Attack teaching Alex how to do the Jitterbug

-       We got to hang out with all of UK during the Sweet Sixteen as our tank of an espresso machine fired out free drinks to UK students for a whole day.

-       We had our one-year celebration crammed with some awesomeness.  The Secretariat’s grandson visited us, the day was named “A Cup of Common Wealth Day” by Mayor Jim Gray, and we even got a little teary-eyed seeing the love and support that was all around us that beautiful day.

Delia and Whynot - two of our favorite customers (both Iced Mocha lovers)

-       We watched more and more coffeehouses pop up with their own Pay It Forward boards and it made our hearts grow.

-       We all stood together as a community and supported our good buddy, Sav.  You’re the absolute best, Sav!

-       We started our monthly Non-Profit day and have been able to see it slowly grow from month to month

-       We put up our Community Tree again.  So.  Much.  Emotion.  While that tree may only be worth a few bucks in the eyes of many; it’s worth a whole heck of a lot more to us.  It’s our mission in the form of a small Christmas tree and a beacon of light for us whenever we may lose our footing in the dark.  There is no Dollar Store tree we respect more.

No better Christmas tree in all of the land

As we work through all of this reflection we know it all comes back to gratitude and thanks. 

We are so grateful for each and every one of you and are thankful each and every day that you support us. 

Saying you have humbled us is an understatement.

Thanks for a radtastical year!

COFFEE CREW OF A CUP OF COMMON WEALTH: JEFF POLING (PART 2 OF 2)

So, lets keep getting to know the Jeffster.  Below are the rest of the questions we asked Jeff to help you all get to know him a bit better.  Enjoy!  

11) What advice would you give to your 50 year old self?

Make the most of every day. With being older comes different responsibility from being young. Redeem every second the way you tried to when you were younger.

12) If you could hang out with anyone, real or fictional, past or present - who it would be and why?

There’s a podcast in England called the Football Ramble. It’s my favorite podcast because somehow they manage to be really professional in their analysis but also have a really good time. If I could hang out with any or all of them, I think it’d be fun. When people are able to have fun in their profession, I think that is a good indicator that they have a good head on their shoulders and they tend to make good friends.

13) What are you reading right now or plan on reading next?

I’m reading Gaston LeRoux’ The Phantom of the Opera.

14) Where do you want to travel to next?

It probably won’t be next, but I’m dying to see Eastern Europe. I think the culture seems so raw, so underappreciated, and yet it’s so classic. There’s a ton to see. I’d love to visit, maybe even live there at some point.

15) Describe one of the items on your bucket list.

This should be an easy one to fulfill, too…I’ve always wanted to get a straight razor shave. I just have to decide when I’m willing to part with my beard.

16) What do you do outside of work?

I’d like to say I do a lot of reading, but it depends on the book. Sometimes I read quickly, other times very slowly. I’m also rediscovering my joy in music – I especially love to sing. Not a lot of people know that about me, either – and selfishly, it’s fun when they find out and are shocked. Sometimes I write songs but often times I just like to sing other people’s songs that I enjoy, because I’m not a terribly creative person; songwriting is difficult for me. I also love and lose myself in the game of soccer – I’ll watch just about any game from any league in the world; I love playing (we have a plethora of soccer balls in my house that we dribble around the place) and I love listening to podcasts that break down the game. I’m always trying to understand it more, and I never tire of hearing about it.

17) If you could be a Superhero what would your name be? Your Powers? Your Supervillain?

I don’t know.

18) Describe your perfect day.

I awake around 6 AM, refreshed by 8-10 hours of sleep. I spend a little bit of time reading while I drink coffee, and then watch an early game of soccer. After the game, I go get breakfast (my favorite meal to eat) with a friend, where we sit and converse for hours on end about life, friendship, work, God, and anything else that comes to mind. Maybe later in the day I go to see a movie (in theaters preferably) and have a few drinks with even more friends before we play some music together at my house, and once we have worn our voices out, we call it a night.

19) In a perfect world - what would you be doing, where would you be living, what would life be like?

I’d like to do more with music, so in a perfect world, I suppose I’d be playing music with some of my good friends, and we’d record and play a few shows, but not travel too much (I’m a homebody, which is why I decided years ago that the band life ultimately wasn’t for me!) Honestly, I’d probably live here, but I don’t know. I’ve been here my whole life, and I’ve never had much of a reason to live anywhere else. But I suppose wherever you live, the most important thing is that you’re surrounded by people and activities you love, so that’s what matters most to me.

20) What makes you fun?

I like to think that my propensity to make puns is something that sticks with people. I have some people who ask me every time they see me if I have a new joke, which makes me smile. I also have a tendency to get really excited about really silly things – like Election Day or some new report that breaks something down numerically – and I think people think that’s funny.

21) If you could only have one meal for the rest of your life what would it be?

Breakfast: preferably some over-easy eggs, bacon, biscuits with sausage gravy, and some hash browns. I’d be a gassy man, but a happy man.

22) How do you unwind from a stressful day?

Playing soccer helps me a lot. It takes my mind completely away from every other issue.

23) What's your philosophy on life?

I just try to enjoy things as much as possible. If I’m playing sports and my team is losing, focus on the fact that I’m playing a really fun game. If I’m going to sleep, I think about how amazing it is that my body and mind are getting rest. If I’m working, I think about how much impact it has and that makes it easier to enjoy. I find a lot of joy in a lot of things that are sort of odd. I get giddy about Election Day results, regardless of who I voted for. I get myself excited about walking to the bank. There’s always a reason to be excited about something.

24) What makes you genuinely happy (when you can't help but smile at it)?

I realize this may come out of left field from a guy with no kids, but really good parenting. When I meet a kid who is well-behaved and polite but does so in a very natural way, I think that’s wonderful. I love when parents treat their kids with respect and dignity, and they teach their kids good manners without being fearmongers. I just think that creates a lot of functional people, and that’s worthy of a smile.

25) What's your greatest accomplishment?

I graduated from college completely debt-free. I think that’s a rarity, and I’m really proud of that.

26) What is one of the most valuable lessons you have learned?

In college, I was a psychology major, and if there’s anything I learned, it’s that there are a plethora of reasons for which people behave the way they do. I value that a lot, because a lot of times I want to rush to conclusions about people and what they do, but it gives me a lot of pause and forces me to think and try to consider all of the reasons why people are they way they are.

27) What's something you would like to do over again?

When I was in high school, I was in a band. Even now, I have mixed feelings as to whether or not I’d like to be in a band, but I really miss performing and practicing. I really would like to get back to that at some point, even if it’s not in a full-time or professional manner. I just miss performing for people.

28) What's your go-to entertainment right now?

I’m pretty hooked on FIFA and/or Football Manager on my phone.

29) Who are some of your mentors and why?

There are a couple of guys in my church who’ve mentored me for, I think, 6-8 years now. At first it was forced mentorship – we had set up a program in my youth group in which you just chose who you wanted to mentor you. I chose a guy named Ben, and he’s been one of my best friends and my mentor ever since. The other is my pastor, who took me under his wing when I was starting college and expressing some interest in ministry. I guess the ‘why’ is because they’re two folks who never made me feel unwelcome, and who always made me feel valuable.

30) How do you stay informed with everything that is going on in the coffee industry?

Shoot, I don’t even do it nearly as much as I’d like! I guess it’s mostly through talking with our vendors. I love to shoot them an email and find out what they’ve been working on, what they’re excited about, and what’s new with them. They do a really good job of spreading the passion of coffee.