By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

MONTEVALLO – Visitors to the American Village now have one more reason to linger a little longer, with fresh coffee and historical ambience being offered at the new Merchants’ Coffee House.

Opened to the public on Feb. 24, the new shop is inspired by 18th-century era America, keeping with American Village’s dedication to honoring American history and promoting patriotism.

Emily Stoves, the lead barista at Merchants’ Coffee House, gave background on the inspiration behind the new shop.

“It’s an idea that had been kicked around for a few years, to our understanding,” Stoves said. “The inspiration for its existence came from the desire to have an amenity serving refreshments to guests, so they wouldn’t have to cut their visits short to find something to eat or drink elsewhere. The longer they stay, the more they can do and see.”

Stoves elaborated on the inspiration behind Merchants’ and highlighted the historic building that inspired the new coffee shop.

“The inspiration for its design came from The City Tavern, a popular Pennsylvanian drinking establishment circa 1773,” Stoves said. “It was eventually also known as Merchants’ Coffeehouse when they started serving coffee in 1785.”

Stoves is already eyeing ways for the coffee shop to further align with the mission and experiences of American Village.

“There’s a lot of exciting potential as far as further incorporating it in the American Village experience,” Stoves said. “So far, it aligns with the mission in terms of providing a welcoming space for visitors to enjoy refreshment and rest, and to enhance their overall enjoyment of the tours, vignettes and exhibits. It also serves as a potential attraction to increase general admission.”

Stoves also is eyeing certain demographics to serve at the new coffeehouse.

“One of the biggest needs or audiences we hoped to serve were the chaperones and teachers that come early in the morning with school groups,” Stoves said. “Before, they were relegated to either waiting outside or in the foyer of the Visitor Center. On busy mornings with lots of kids, it’s a pleasure being able to offer hard-working guardians and teachers a pick-me-up and a cozy place to enjoy it while waiting for their tours to start.”

The process of setting up the shop, according to Stoves, has been arduous yet fulfilling.

“The process has been long, to be sure and at times tedious,” Stoves said. “However, we look back on it all with a smile. There’s a lot more that goes into starting a coffeehouse from the ground up than you would think. The space that is home to The Merchants’ Coffee House used to be a performance space called the Estes Theater. Retrofitting it for commercial food use was a long process in itself but then came arranging and sourcing all the right equipment, finding vendors and suppliers to work with, starting an inventory, setting up a point-of-sale system, coming up with recipes for both standard and signature drinks, getting our health inspections and so much more. Some parts were more fun than others… It’s very much still an ongoing process, and we’re incredibly excited about the potential.”

Stoves gave a preview of what customers can expect on the store’s menu.

“We’re still trying to flesh out the fixed food menu, but for now we can happily offer guests a variety of prepackaged baked goods and snacks,” Stoves said. “One of our future goals is to be able to offer fresh-baked goods and sandwiches in-house. As for the drink menu, we use locally roasted and supplied beans for only the best coffee. We proudly serve the same standard and premium drinks you would find in a specialty coffeehouse, like espresso, fresh drip coffee, lattés, cappuccinos and more. We have tea and other non-coffee options, as well as blended and frosted beverages. Most exciting of all, we have a rotating specialty menu featuring fun and tasty drinks, with unique names contrived by our creative colleagues to bring some of American History to the coffee house. We gladly invite curious minds to come and experience what it’s about for themselves.”

The vibe and atmosphere that Stoves is trying to cultivate is one that is welcoming and inviting.

“Each day, (we) strive to cultivate a cheery, inviting and tidy space for visitors,” Stoves said. “We frequently get compliments on how attractive the interior is, but the location offers covered outdoor seating as well. It boasts a lovely view up the hill and one that features a glimpse of the new Independence Hall central building. One of our favorite things about the start of each week is arranging and setting out new, fresh flowers in the center of each indoor table. Tables by the spacious windows offer a pleasant view of the grounds entrance. Guests are regularly taken by how good it smells inside, too.”

Along with high-quality food and service, Stoves hopes the shop will foster an unparalleled sense of community.

“We truly hope it serves the local community in every bit of the inviting way we’ve described,” Stoves said. “We eagerly look forward to seeing more new and familiar faces with each passing day. We hope it provides a sense of welcome, inspires exploration, fosters connection and provides a great cup of coffee to boot.”

Stoves has noted that the response from guests has been encouraging.

“We’re incredibly proud to say that the response has been overwhelmingly positive,” Stoves said. “We regularly receive glowing compliments from customers both young and old, with most declaring their drink is the best they’ve ever had. Each day we’re encouraged more and more by the reception.”

Stoves concluded by discussing hopes for the future for the coffee shop as a whole.

“(We) are constantly looking into varying avenues of enrichment,” Stoves said. “It’s so much fun getting to dream big about something that has the potential to be so much as our job. There are so many things in store. We’re looking into our own bean blend for making drinks and selling down the road. We’re still exploring all the many unique specialty drink and in-house food possibilities, which get more bountiful with every passing day. We’re both confident The Merchants’ Coffee House will bring significant enhancement to the experience of American Village, both on a day-to-day basis and for special events. We’re glad to say we’ve already seen an impact. To summarize, I think our core hope is that it becomes both a staple for the local community, and a well-loved attraction that generates interest in American Village for years to come.”

For more information on American Village, visit Americanvillage.org.