By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
When Paul and Rhonda Sullivan first made the decision to open the Coffee House at Chestnut and Pine, they wanted a community gathering place for Burlington.
Not only have they gotten one, they’ve gotten one so popular that the place bursts at the seams some days.
Now, thanks to a $205,000 grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Council, the Coffee House is moving forward with an expansion at 484 North Pine Street – next door to the main building at 492 North Pine.
“We’re really excited,” said Carly Hurley, the general manager for the shop. She added that the current space issues and need to expand “is a great problem to have.”
“It’s a place where people of all ages can come and feel they’re in a safe and creative space,” Hurley explained. “You can come here alone. It’s just great to have a space.”
The Coffee House has become a gathering place for local artists and musicians over the last two years. In addition to hosting weekly concerts – and the now-annual summer music festival called “Tall Tales” – there is an open mic event every Thursday that draws a large crowd of performers and guests.
In addition, paintings and photography are routinely on display on the walls at the shop. Right now, the artwork of Shaymus Guinn – who died of cancer at the age of 11 in 2012 – is on the walls at the Coffee House.
With the larger crowds in mind, the owners were encouraged by the WEDC and the city to apply for grant dollars earlier this year.
The $205,000 received will go to a number of different projects, not the least of which is installing a kitchen at the 484 North Pine property so the shop can do more – and more varied – cooking on site.
While the remodeling has started with the demolition of parts of the 484 building, Hurley said they aren’t expecting to really start using the remodeled space until February or March of next year.
The initial focus, she said, it to bake fresh items on site and expand the sandwich, flatbread and small plate offerings.
But in addition, an elevator will be installed in order to make the upstairs’ rooms in both buildings accessible to all.
That would open up those rooms as special event space. They could be used for birthdays, rehearsal dinners, reunions, or, as Hurley put it, “any other occasion that calls for a reason to celebrate.”
There will also be fire sprinkler system installed, façade improvements and new windows installed
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Good to see more money taken from the silent hardworking and given away to those in the know. Some well deserved backpatting, gladhanding, and wallet grabbing! Go to a bank and get a loan or raise your prices? No! Take food and small pleasures by force from the unwashed. Take a risk? No! Have that safety net for well connected business with no worries while those dumb enough to think the rules are fair stress out and fall through. Compete? No! Keep others out by forcing them to subsidize you. Drink up!
The Coffee House continually gives money back to the community through its “Purchase With a Purpose,” hosts fundraisers, offers a gathering place for local artists and musicians, has the best staff on the planet and is a comfortable community gathering place where there are very few. This business has been nothing but good for the community, and you’re going to sit there on your high horse and say the owners are responsible for taking hardworking people’s money when the STATE economic development group made the money?
No, sorry. I’m not buying your conspiracy theory. Thank you to the wonderful owners and the staff of the Coffee House. I love it there.
Lets take this meanwhile statement bit by bit:
1. Donates to the “community” : so everyone should have their own personal choice of charity subsidized?
2. I like the product and the service: So you get to have your purchases of choice subsidized because you like it.
3. The WEDC “made the money” : What?
There is no conspiracy they got subsidized by the rest of us. You love it there – great argument.
Why does this paper only cover certain businesses? Why does this paper not do pieces on other businesses in the community to showcase what that business offers? Burlington does NOT do a good job of trying to showcase what it has to offer.
I love the coffee house. It is incredible to have a place downtown to meet, take friends from out of town, and show off the best side of Burlington. I could not imagine a more worthy way of using a state grant. The coffee shop lifts us all, brings more people traffic to the downtown area, and showcases the talents of local residents. It is a true community asset!
“I love the coffee house… I could not imagine a more worthy way of using a state grant.”
No not for disabled vets or a food bank or for academics … but for a rich folk coffee shop.
Has anyone ever heard of a bank?
Only in Burlington could a coffee shop be a city’s too big to fail institution that needs a taxpayer bail out.
Lemme guess next were going to have to dip/dunk into the taxpayer pocket for a doughnut wing of this place to keep up the cops’ morale.
The WEDC needs to be shut down. They can’t seem to run themselves anyway.
Additional funding for the poor, disabled vets, and education should definitely be a priority. Sadly our current governor and the republican leadership is not going to do that. The coffee shop has become a place where the needs of particular groups (most recently suicide prevention) are brought to the attention of the public and the good you speak of can be promoted.
Good to hear you now do not support the ridiculous subsidy given to this one place whether is was given from republicans or democrats or independents. Obviously a lot of people and places provide what this place does. all the more power to them – but we now agree they don’t need special help.
If the owners don’t have the money they can borrow it and struggle like everyone else instead of taking everybody else’s money. They should be embarrassed.
Support local businesses not on the gov freebie dole like this place. Also does this website have some financial interest in this place? Its all they write about. Do they write their articles in this place? Also pretty embarrassing they don’t cover their competition. Its like their personal newsletter.
This place should open a spa too – they’re already experts at the you rub mine I’ll rub yours business.
I still do support it Joe.
So now you do support the Walker administration subsidy to the WEDC Coffee House. flip-flop-flip. better check whats in your coffee.
So much for those education diatribes. Walker gives you cheaper coffee and you are now pro-Walker. Profile in coffee courage. One of the Walker coffee house cronies.
If you are upset about the WEDC having taken your tax dollars and reinvested them in an inappropriate way, then you need to direct your anger towards Scott Walker. This is part of his 250,000 failed jobs program. Kudos for a Burlington business owner to make the best of a bad situation and bring those dollars back to Burlington. Kudos to the Coffee house for being able to make the best of a terrible economy and for making the coffee house a shining example of what can be done in spite of poor leadership Walker, Vos and the rest of the tea party.
Seems to be a lot of angry, jealous people in Burlington.
This article was suppose to be good news, not hey look what they got and you didn’t.