Taylor Hanigosky
tmh004@marietta.edu
Downtown Marietta may start to smell a lot more like freshly brewed coffee with two new coffee houses set to open on Front Street in April.
The Coffee Bar, a project of husband-wife duo Zak and Amy Huffman, opened its Parkersburg location last week and will bring its specialty, direct-trade beans to 250 Front St., next to All Pro Nutrition.
Jeremiah’s Coffee House is making its new home at 175 Front St., and is the brainchild of a five-woman team, including SWAGG owner Cat Bigley, her two sisters Liz Johnson and Karen Henthorn, SWAGG manager Courtney Knoch, and Julia Jaffe.
While each new business was born out of the need for a relaxing, coffee shop environment in the area, the two coffee houses differ in how they plan to serve the community.
The Huffmans are excited to bring third wave coffee to Marietta. Third wave refers to a current movement to produce high-quality, artisanal coffee with an appreciation for subtleties in flavor and growing region.
“It’s about treating coffee as an artisan food, like wine, rather than just a commodity,” Zak Huffman said. “Some people come in to our store like deer in headlights, but we want to educate them and make them feel comfortable. We love sharing the knowledge of the crafted coffee; it’s fun.”
The Coffee Bar offers grade one, direct trade coffee from Ethiopia and Brazil. According to Huffman, they have developed direct relationships with growers in these regions. Signature drinks include pour-over coffee, a brewing method that removes 45 percent of the acidity and offers a crisp, clean taste, and the Goldie Hawn, an organic latte sweetened with honey.
While Jeremiah’s wants to offer its own take on a quality cup of coffee, its main focus is on creating a community-building atmosphere where people can kick back and enjoy each other’s company. Bigley said she isn’t concerned about the two new coffee shops competing for business. She’s excited for the new activity the coffee houses will hopefully bring to the shopping district and said there is plenty of room downtown for both places to be successful.
The Coffee Bar and Jeremiah’s will both serve food and bakery treats. Additionally, each is hoping to make an impression on Marietta College students by offering a welcoming space to hang out and study off campus as well as hosting evening events.
“For MC students, I feel like it’s the perfect step away from campus without actually going too far,” said Knoch, a former MC student who will become one of Jeremiah’s managers when the shop opens. “We’ll ideally offer Wi-Fi and student deals, just four easy blocks away. And with the goal of hosting evening events such as open-mic nights, those students that can’t or don’t want to go to a bar still have a fun downtown option.”
