Some new tastes are coming to Starkville that will soon be the talk around town. With more than 2,300 students supporting their thefacebook.com group, the name Strange Brew Coffeehouse has become well-known, and it hasn’t even opened yet.
The Strange Brew Coffeehouse, which is shooting for a Super Bulldog Weekend opening, has already opened Coldstone Creamery, their sister specialty ice cream shop next to Strange Brew’s location in the old Maroon’s/Bully’s gas station, which will still serve gas as part of its regular business.
Since Strange Brew hasn’t opened yet, one can only speculate what the atmosphere and aura of the coffeehouse will be, if it’s anything like that at Coldstone, a success.
Walking through the door, an enthusiastic employee says to a customer, “How’s it going? It’s great to see you in Coldstone today.”
Meanwhile, music invokes the sounds of an outside concert.
With Strange Brew Coffeehouse still set to open, manager of Strange Brew and Coldstone and Mississippi State University alumnus Shane Reed said that thefacebook group he started is a huge reason Strange Brew has garnered so much support so soon.
“One of my friends was joking around and said ‘You need to join this facebook thing online, and it’s a way to get connected with all your friends at college,'” Reed said. “And one night I was messing around and decided to join. So then I put a Strange Brew Coffeehouse group on there and in just a few weeks, it just blew up.”
Reed said that Strange Brew is set apart from other coffee houses because it offers a different experience to all customers than other popular coffee shops. He added that Strange Brew uses the fresh ingredients to guarantee what the customer eats is of the best quality around.
“If you go into a Starbucks, you almost feel like they’re too good to serve you or you feel intimidated, but not here. We’ve got a great crew and everybody is customer service oriented,” Reed said. “Strange Brew is different because it’s open earlier (6 a.m.) and stays open later (1 a.m.). We also actually get our beans roasted in New Albany, so we have the freshest coffee around, and we make our own ice cream here at the shop. Other than the coffee beans, we don’t ship anything in; everything is made right here at the coffeehouse.”
Reed also adds Strange Brew will be very student friendly with long open hours and wireless Internet, so those late night study sessions can be enjoyed in a coffeehouse rather than in library cubicle or noisy dorm room.
“I think, from the support that’s been gathered on thefacebook, that a lot of students really want this and really need a good coffee shop where they can study all night and not have to go home at 11,” Reed said. “Most college students don’t study before then anyway. When I went to Mississippi State, I always wanted a good coffeehouse that served quality food and coffee. I’m not too old, and I still have some friends in college, so I have a good idea about what the students want.”
With gas prices on the increase, Strange Brew’s claim to keep their gas cheap and the fact that the store is within walking distance from MSU’s campus, Reed said he thinks Strange Brew is just what Starkville and MSU needed, and he said he hopes the faithful thousands already behind his business will feel the same way.
“We just want to make sure everything’s perfect,” Reed said.