NEWS
Coffee Store Added to Downtown Area
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Also by Melanie Truhn:
- Chancellor speaks at neighborhood meeting (November 21, 2003)
- State confusion over burial grounds (October 15, 2003)
- Willy Street Co-op turns 30 (October 17, 2003)
- Coffee Store Added to Downtown Area (October 22, 2003)
- Fall festival to bring back detoured customers (October 23, 2003)
Related Stories:
- Starbucks raises prices on most menu items (October 6, 2004)
- Caffeinated candy gives students alternative to coffee (September 30, 2001)
- Caffeine common student addiction (December 2, 2004)
- Fair Trade Coffeehouse newest addition to State Street (March 10, 2004)
- Coffee may prevent colon cancer (October 31, 2003)
by Melanie Truhn
Wednesday, October 22, 2003
Coffee-drinking college students will soon have another source for their caffeine addictions. During the first week of November, Dunn Brothers Coffee will open on the ground floor of the Collegiate Apartment building on Lake Street between State Street and Langdon Street.
Owner Stan Westland said the chain of 30 coffee shops is based in the Twin Cities. The Madison store will be the first out-of-state location for the company. Plans are also in the works for a store opening in Dallas, Texas. Westland said he chose Madison because he was familiar with the city.
“I took graduate classes here in the 1970s. I always liked the State Street area,” Westland said. “Madison has the right demographics of people who like good coffee.”
Westland said his coffee shop would be successful in Madison for two reasons: the quality of coffee and the fact that it is roasted in the shop daily. He said the store only uses the top percent of specialty coffee beans and guarantees freshness.
“Basically we take green beans in bags and roast them everyday, so everything is super fresh,” Westland said.
Espresso Royale Assistant Manager Ron Walters said he believes coffee shops on State Street do well because a majority of students like coffee.
“Obviously college students love to drink coffee. They love the social atmosphere of coffee shops. They can study without the sterile atmosphere of the library,” Walters said.
Walters said he believes the new coffee shop could compete with others on State Street if it has significantly lower prices, but a lot of Espresso Royale customers are regulars, he said.
“People come here because of service. I don’t think anyone on State Street can get customers in and out as quickly with such good service as us,” Walters said. “If they can do that maybe they can compete.”
Westland said Dunn Brother’s prices will be the same as all of the Minnesota stores, but those prices will be lower than most on State Street.
Although Espresso Royale is a national chain, Walters is unsure about the addition of another chain store on State Street.
“I think there are advantages and disadvantages to corporations, but I think State Street already has enough of the corporate thing going on,” Walters said.
Westland said that Dunn Brother’s coffee and atmosphere should make it successful in Madison, citing pastries and free wireless Internet as two big draws of the store.
“It will have a cozy, warm atmosphere, good service and a very good product,” Westland said.
University of Wisconsin student Liz Rosemurgy is excited by the idea of a new coffee shop.
“It’s going to be super convenient, I can go and be on the Internet or type a paper,” Rosemurgy said. “It’ll be a nice break from the library.”
Anonymous (November 11, 2004 @ 2:16am):
MRT rocks the shizzle! yea mellie!
