Hopefully, you and yours are doing well. Life and logistics continue to progress in the MadCap Empire.
Last week, we debuted at the Farmers’ Market with coffee and French press in tow. It was wonderful to further acquaint ourselves with the neighborhood coffee fanatics and caffeine tyros. If this orientation continues, our eventual presence in the retail space will not be one of unfamiliarity.
Note: Laura Feldman has arrived.
We have a location, kids. The deal was sealed yesterday on 98 Monroe Center. After countless wanderings, the occasionally intolerable Realtor, and lots of daydreaming, it was apparent that Monroe trumped the rest in location, character, and possibility. Dominating a bustling corner, we have a great store front which boasts a recent renovation. We are surrounded by museums, specialty shops, offices, restaurants, and the ever-functional Rosa Parks Circle.
The inside will be an absolute treat. Utilizing the exposed brick, [very] high rafter ceilings, and the few columns, we will create an environment for both relational development and personal discovery. Our bar is going to be huge- allowing the baristas ample room in artfully assembling each drink. One of our favorite parts is this peculiar hole in the floor. They offered to close up the 5′x6′ gap, but why waste a perfectly good chasm? We are going to use that gap for the viewing of the roasting process taking place below. Underneath the 1,500 sq. ft. of the store, we have a full basement. The basement will hold the roasting area, training facility, cupping room, and offices (Yes, there is a lot of boring paperwork that takes place. We don’t just live in a Bohemian utopia). We will also store our precious green beans with tender loving care after we have them ushered in from varying corners of the world.
When all is said, and the hammers have been swung, we should be opening our doors the first week in October. Make a mental note of this, mapquest the addy, and be there or be square.
Does anyone remember that line from the Sleeping Beauty? The fairy godmothers, or whatever they are, were making a cake in full on human form. The cake turned into a horrific mess, and they all squabbled with their magic wands.
Trevor, Knapp, and I cupped samples the other night- searching for the foundational offerings of MadCap.
Ryan was stoked to play on one of our new grinders, and Trevor adoringly surveyed a recently arrived knock box. I was clutching the naked portafilter- anticipating the unified crema to come. In short, we all need to get behind a bar pronto.
As we work on things for the shop, it is obvious that we need a work space to accomplish as much. Coffee shops present themselves the most natural of options, yet we’ve found a fair amount of discomfort in this. It isn’t their fault by any means, but rather the nature of our activity. After about a week or so of being here, we have begun the coffee shop rotation schedule; frequenting any given shop without ample rest will only incur poor sentiments from the owners. We don’t heckle or judge….really. As we sit and converse on our shops’ standards, equipment, and intentions, we unfortunately highlight the inadequacies of the shops we’ve visited. Were you to remark on our pretension, I would only direct your attention to the milk encrusted steam wands, watery espresso shots, and 20 oz. cappuccinos that hail from the local shops. We chose to live, and then learn, though. We speak in hushed tones now, and we compliment the ambience and communal function of the shops.
[ Cue “Show Me What You Got” Single] It is my sincere pleasure to introduce you to our endeavor. Considering our lack of acquaintance, we will need to run through a lot, so bear with me. We’ll hit up the personalities of this effort soon enough, but I’ll lay down the primary details first. We have loved our Moon Monkey Coffee Shop. She has served us well as she fostered the development of our skills. What can we say, though? It’s time to grow up. We are growing up and out. Ladies and Gentlemen, competition, and downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, we are packing up our passion, skills, and sarcasm to bring you an exceptional coffee experience in the form of MadCap Coffee Company [ and Bad Ass Roastery]. With confidence akin to that of our friend, Jay Z, I may say that we will own it. Opening day lattes and capps will be marked with tulips and triples, as will be the standard everyday thereon out. We want you to vicariously live through us as we build this shop from the ground up. We are fusing our life into coffee for the sake of its perfection. We believe in the personal, communal, and global purpose of coffee; our joy comes from sharing it with others.
Without any further deliberation, I’d love to introduce you to the [soon to be] faces of MadCap Coffee Company.
-We will obviously begin with Trevor Corlett. Owner, barista, and Godfather- this man is why we are all here. With eight years of coffee industry experience, our boi has the coffee and entrepreneurial skills to show. He taught himself everything about the business from roasting to machine maintenance. His managerial skills have been compared to those of Empire Records [needless note: Trevor possesses an nonsensical amount of 1990‘s movie trivia in his skull] , nonetheless his commitment to coffee and its application have guided us down the caffeine trodden path of coffee culture. A.k.a. If our lives flop, we are holding him liable. This weekend, he will be competing in National’s with Ryan Knapp. You can identify him by the seemingly impenetrable watch he always wears. Titanium alloy, perhaps…
-Ryan Knapp is the right hand man. His job description encompasses roasting, training, and dominating the bar. Ryan has only had this love affair for about a year and a half, but his potential is unrivaled. Trevor passed off roasting to Ryan last year, and he has thrown his heart into every roast since. Ryan is serious about coffee, and to his credit, he won’t let us forget it. He is always reading, researching, and blogging about how he may further the quality of our product. He will be competing along with Trevor this weekend at National’s, and he may be spotted by his illustriously authoritative beard.
-Laura Feldman has, up to this point, been the secret shift leader. A promotion is underway, so I will update you with her official function. Off the record, Laura is quite the mediating factor in this whole equation. She is calm and cool like no other, and she holds more than her own (could that be an expression?) behind the bar. She has been, and will continue to be, proactive in addressing environmental and sustainability issues within the community. Laura has a unique contribution to MadCap’s story. Through credit manipulation and hard work, this girl is graduating a year early to move to Grand Rapids and start the shop. Laura may be found if you follow an incessant complaint about the weather. Our Cali girl isn’t too fond of snow, wind, or drizzles. It’s a good thing she’s moving to Michigan.
-As for myself, self-description is never any fun. I will cordially introduce myself as Naomi, and leave it at that for now. I have the authority to do that. I am the one writing.
Please, stay in touch, friends. This is going to be a brilliant chain of events, and we want you there from beginning to end. Speak soon!
Naomi
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