The Little Brew Coffee Shop officially opened its doors Sunday, Dec. 8 to a steady stream of customers. Owners Justin and Lindsey Schatzinger, a husband and wife team, work regular hours at the shop and look forward to introducing new customers to their choice in coffee beans and homemade food.
A history in coffee shop management and the availability of the building, complete with equipment left behind by previous tenants, inspired the young entrepreneurs.
“I know the owner of this building and when the coffee shop came available we started talking about it, prayed about it, and got excited about it,” said Lindsey Schatzinger. “We hope it works out.”
“One of the things we do here that is unique is the ‘pour-over station’,” said Lindsey Schatzinger, “That would be one of our specialties.”
The newly purchased “pour-over station” brews coffee one cup at a time. Hot water is poured onto the coffee grounds and filtered directly into the cup. The method has become very popular with coffee aficionados.
A variety of coffees are available daily, ground from beans that meet The Little Brew’s standards. The majority of beans are purchased from a college friend of the Schatzingers located in California, Timber Giant Coffee Roaster. The beans are “direct trade,” a practice that involves the coffee roaster’s direct involvement with the grower. Direct trade ensures that the beans are harvested in a sustainable manner and protects the rights of laborers and farmers alike, while not overseen by a third party, as in “Fair Trade.”
“We’d eventually like to purchase more things in-state and locally. It’s hard to do starting up, but we slowly want to move in that direction,” said Justin Schatzinger. “We might still use [Timber Giant Coffee Roaster] for the beans, but we’d like to do all the breads locally, as well as produce. The more connections we make locally, we want to move in that direction.”
The Little Brew offers sandwiches, salads and soups. Fresh baked goods are provided by local baker Renee’ Hopkins of Cupcake Revolution. A Shelby native, Hopkins is a friend of the Schatzingers and utilizes the kitchen at The Little Brew to prepare her tempting treats.
“I’ve enjoyed baking and eating cookies and the like my whole life, even as a young girl,” said Hopkins. “I’ve been regularly baking for my close friends and church family for the last two years and I’ve been blessed and thrilled by how excited people were to eat my cupcakes.”
A true family business, The Little Brew owners Lindsey and Justin Schatzinger have been assisted in their endeavors by Justin Schatzinger’s father Bryan Schatzinger, and mother Janice Schatzinger. Janice Schatzinger has offered her support as well as her chicken salad recipe. Bryan Schatzinger has helped with maintenance as well as serving.
The building has an upstairs that is available for overflow seating, and groups may utilize the coffee shop by contacting the Schatzingers for availability.
The couple hope to bring entertainment to the venue. “In the spring and summer, once the snow is gone, we want to utilize the big patio, maybe have some live music,” said Lindsey Schatzinger.
The Little Brew, located at 218 Mansfield Ave., Shelby, is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 6:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Wednesdays 6:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Closed Sundays.
The Little Brew can be found on Facebook or reached at 419-709-0071.
“We’d eventually like to purchase more things in-state and locally. It’s hard to do starting up, but we slowly want to move in that direction,” said Justin Schatzinger.
