Poppets Coffee & Tea is planning to open on Oct. 13 at 1006 E. Dorothy Lane in the former space of Creative Flags & Poles and The Ohio Wine Company.
“This year has been an interesting ride,” Michael said. “We had no plans of opening a cafe this year. It was not on the radar. Our plan was to expand the roastery to do more wholesale, to get into grocery stores and stuff like that.”
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
From the Oregon District to Kettering
When expanding the roastery didn’t work out, they came across a post in February about the former space of Eclectic Essentials in the Oregon District being available for lease.
The plan was to turn the almost 700-square-foot space into a retail store and cafe. It was going to be very small with less than 20 seats.
After submitting plans to the city, they received a long list of things they needed to update from a third-party plan reviewer to be able to open. The couple was looking at spending around $20,000.
“We were ready to spend the money and get it done,” Karen said. “This was our plan. We were doing this.”
The problem was that they had a month-to-month lease and didn’t want to invest that amount money into a property without something long term.
During the midst of trying to figure out what to do in the Oregon District, Michael found the Kettering space.
“I was literally delivering to one of our customers right around the corner here on Gaylord (Avenue) and normally I turn left out of there, and that day I turned right and saw the for lease sign,” Michael said.
The Kettering location made more sense because it has more than 5,000-square feet of room to grow.
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Expanding the retail portion of the business
The owners are waiting for the floors to be redone before they can start arranging the space. They’re planning to open after Michael returns from a month-long trip as a tour guide in Germany.
Poppets plans to offer at least 50 flavored coffees, 30 to 40 single origin specialty blends and 200 teas in their retail space.
At 2nd Street Market, they currently have 30 flavored coffees, 25 single origin specialty blends, 10 decaf, 44 loose leaf teas and 10 different varieties of sachets.
“I have to sell out of one of the single origins before I can bring in a new one,” Michael said. “Here, I won’t have to do that. When I see an exciting one, I can buy it and get it in here and start selling it.”
All coffee beans and teas come directly from small farmers or through specialty importers that work with small farmers.
“We have direct contact with a lot of the farmers,” Michael said. “I’d like to be in contact with more of them and as we stabilize, we’ll be able to do some origin trips and take people to the farms.”
A cafe with food and drinks
With the opening of the cafe portion, customers will be able to try Poppets Coffee & Tea. The owners strive to be non-pretentious, approachable and fun. They encourage customers to ask questions.
Karen said they are continuing to work on the cafe’s menu, but plan to offer classic, European-style coffee drinks.
Tea will be available by the cup or pot, as well as sparkling teas and lemonades.
“There’s just nothing else like it around here,” Karen said. “I’m excited to be able to really showcase tea.”
The kitchen of the cafe will not be open just yet. Instead, they are teaming up with local bakers such as Lucy’s Pastry Palace and The scRUMptious Desserts.
Creating a ‘third place’
The upstairs portion of the building will be a “third place” (or “third space”) where customers can reserve a private room to study or to get work done.
The building was built as Millie’s Bridal Shoppe. The upstairs has several rooms that were once used as dressing rooms.
“We want it to be a place where you can come in and spend all day if you want to,” Michael said.
Other ideas for the third place includes ticketed chef dinners, board games, a lending library, raves and more.
A community hub
The couple is looking forward to welcoming people in, becoming a community hub and showcasing their products.
“To be able to do anything that we can dream of is really the exciting part,” Michael said. “The space is so large. Kettering is so great.”
Their long-term goal is to do Poppets full time and have multiple locations.
“We understand it’s long-term. We’ll get there,” Karen said. “We don’t have any doubts that what we put together is going to be great, but it takes time.”
MORE DETAILS
Poppets Coffee & Tea will continue to operate 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at 2nd Street Market, 600 E. Second St. in Dayton.
Their products can also be found at Blind Bob’s in Dayton, Blue Sky Coffee in Fairborn, Caffeine Carl at 2nd Street Market, Dot’s Market in Centerville and Kettering, Hedy & Company in Germantown and Target Dayton Ministries in Dayton.
For more information and updates, visit poppetscoffee.com or the business’s Facebook or Instagram pages (@PoppetsCoffee).
About the Author
