the FREEDOM of ESPRESSO

Presenting Coppei Cafe!

I n early February, Coppei Coffee reached its first big milestone. We marked our first half year in business!

Needless to say, lots of people ask us: well, how is it going?

The honest answer? We're off to a very decent start, considering we launched at the tail end of the busy travel season and headed straight into fall and winter.

Lots of Waitsburgers, some Daytonites and a number of customers from Prescott and Walla Walla have embraced us wholeheartedly. Some patrons travel to our store on Main Street from Dayton several mornings a week just for our java. We also get a lot repeat business from folks coming through here on a regular route from the Tri Cities and places to the east.

Thanks to Nichole Wood's superior barista skills, they like our coffee! Thanks to Tracy Daniel's baking skills, they like our pastries! My oldest son Rainier joined us recently to help behind the counter with lunch and coffee. He makes awesome wraps and sandwiches.

We also have Jessica Mohney, Sarah Groffman and, recently recruited, Chris Carpenter, to round out the schedule.

Lots has changed since I last wrote a column about our shop. The mural is done. Steam rises aromatically from the genie's three cups in front of what you might call "east of the Cascades" country. We finally received our beer and wine license and have added lemonade and some sodas to the drinks menu.

But the best additions are just getting underway and there is a lot more to come.

By spring, Coppei will no longer be just a morning/afternoon coffee house. The name of our business will still be the same, but the name of our "establishment" will be Coppei Cafe.

On the weekends, Coppei Cafe will become a place where you can hang out all day with the possible exception of Sunday evening.

We already made a modest beginning by opening our doors on Saturday nights. We had a great Acoustic Roots/ Bluegrass Jam two weeks ago and a Mardi Gras party last week.

Next week (March 3) is our first open mic, followed by other events such as Ladies Night and Karaoke later in the month.

Carol White, who has been in our community for many years, will be bar master on Saturday nights.

Ron Smith from Northstar Construction has extended our bar area to make room for draft beers and seating for about eight next to the espresso station. Those who will be seated at the bar and elsewhere in the front space only need to look up and slightly to their right to catch their favorite sports games.

If all goes well, we'll have our new HD flatscreen TV mounted behind the bar thanks to a new Direct TV service. For those wanting to check their emails while enjoying their coffee or drinks, we have wifi.

You'll see more games at the cafe. We've added a chess board with its piece made available on request and we'll be mounting a legitimate dart board. We'll add cribbage to some of the tables and one of the seating areas has a chest with board games, including Uno and Stratego .

Our next big initiative, when the weather improves this spring, is the creation of a deck and patio behind the Times lounge area, where morning revelers can watch the sun rise over Preston Park and enjoy some golden moments to start their day.

To make the cafe more accessible to students, we'll be staying open later in the afternoon so they can join us after school for Italian sodas and other non-alcoholic drinks, and have a place to hang before going home.

The goal for Coppei Cafe is to be a community place where everyone can feel comfortable: where families can bring their kids, where everyone in our community can find their friends and their favorite wines and beers, where travelers can enjoy a taste of our town and so on.

Our outdoor expansion behind the Times lounge will have created the space for everyone to feel at home. The live performances and other entertainment we're planning will give you a fun reason to join on Saturday nights and, possibly in the near future on other nights of the week as well.

As the days lengthen and the leaves and flowers emerge, all you'll need to do on a weekend morning, afternoon or evening is stroll down Main Street and look for the sidewalk tables in front of Coppei Cafe.

Spring is in the air.

Hope you'll join us (again) soon!