I have been going to Huggy's Coffee Bar for a long time. It's basically the only coffee shop in Vermilion so I didn't have a lot of other options. Though from what I hear there is a gift shop in the historic Harbourtown area that within the past few years added a coffee bar to it called Decidedly Different. I have never been there but that is for another blog...
I have been googling this coffee shop since sitting down to write my blog, trying to dig up some info on it or it's owner Tom Hug or the coffee shop's history but I am coming up with some bare bones stuff that I already knew anyway.
Huggy's Coffee Bar won second place last year for Best Coffeehouse in the Cleveland area and in 2008 they won First Place. Now they're in competion with a lot of other coffee shops in the area so some would wonder, how did small town coffee shop get so popular??
First off I have to talk about the owner, Tom Hug. When I was living with my mom for a few months I had a lot of down time, and I needed to get out of the house or else I would go stir crazy. So everyday I grabbed my little laptop and I went to Huggy's for some coffee and free wifi (my mom's internet was annoying in it's slowness). He asked my name after a week of coming in everyday, and even though he promised he would forget it and probably ask me again, claiming he was bad with names, he remembered it and greeted me warmly everytime I came in since then. He sometimes even had my drink ready before I even got to the counter (a sign of an excellent barista). That is just the kind of guy he is. I asked him once if he ever got any time off, since he was there every single time I went in and his car seemed to always be parked outside. He told me he hasn't had a day off in three years. Three years. I asked him why go for so long without a vacation, and he just shrugged and smiled slightly. He said something about having a hard time getting the schedule filled but I got the feeling he was just one of those people that had a hard time with time off. He loves his coffee shop and he loves his customers. I hear him greet every single one of them by name, knowing their drinks, knowing their stories, knowing their lives. He never seems to have an pretentious ere about him though, yes he owns the place but his wardrobe seems to consist of flannel shirts and jeans. His hair is always a bit messy and his face usually is contemplative, like he is trying to figure a problem out in his head while fixing your latte. So of course, I find him completely endearing. He saw me once at the grocery store (this is before he knew my name) and just yelled "HEY!" and waved and smiled. This was after I had been there twice.
But lets get to the coffee shop itself already. To say it's eclectic would be a HUGE understatement. It's like a antique store just exploded and spewed it's guts everywhere. There is a canoe hanging from the ceiling, various neon signs hanging on the walls, not to mention the tons of things for sale. From paintings to pictures of the old Vermilion to gift baskets, he has it all. He also does custom framing (random I know). Along with the coffee, this place is also known for it's hard to find candy for sale. Want a Zagnut? He has them. How about some Abba Zabba? You got it. He has anything and everything you remember from your childhood.
As far as bakery goes that is where he disappoints me a bit. You know how I love my cookie or brownie with my coffee. But no such luck. I think he orders some muffins and danishes from the local bakery every morning but if you come in at 2pm there is nothing left, nothing that isn't stale. And the "display" case is a bit sad too. It's just a plastic square case that is on one of the tables close to the counter. I would love to see him invest in a nice bakery case and expand on that a bit more, that is always a plus in coffee houses. There is a small lunch menu available. The usual coffee shop stuff, soups and sandwiches. I haven't tried any but I know they are made fresh daily and I have heard a lot of people say good things about them.
I got a soy mocha this time and Chad got his usual Americano. Ho hum. We did get a coffee on the way out as well though. I didn't put a lot of energy into the coffee tasting, considering I have had many espresso based drinks from Huggy's I thought I could give a pretty good review on what I knew already. Everytime Chad gets an Americano from Huggy's I will say it's really strong. Chad made the mistake of telling Tom that he loves strong coffee and Tom just remembered that so now every time we go there he puts like 5 shots in it. Well it's good that he remembers but now his drinks are always crazy strong. My soy mocha was good, a little hotter than I like and I could tell the shots were coming out a little faster than they should have been but all in all it was good. He uses a manual machine and utilizes punch cards , two of my big bonuses. Don't you think that free coffee at the end of your punch card just tastes better than the ones that you paid for? I think so.
A big downside to this place (other than the bakery of course, or lack thereof) would be the outside dining area. In the spring and summertime, there are 2, count them TWO tables set up outside. Now keep in mind this coffee shop is in the "downtown" area, RIGHT on the water where sitting and watching the boats go by would be a lovely way to spend some time. But the two tables he has are on the side of the building, and you usually end up sitting next to a parked car and watching the cars go by blasting music at you, not so relaxing I think. He is set up in the perfect area for a outside seating area, it would take a little rearranging and some imagination but it's possible.
Also I have to talk about the coffee. As I mentioned before, we got a small black coffee on the way out just to get a well rounded review on the place. And the coffee?? Not good. I wanted to call and ask what company he uses, but I am going to have to put an addendum on this blog entry at a later date when I get all the info. I don't know what was going on with the coffee, but it was almost tangy. It creeped into your taste buds and slapped them around a little like a bully wearing combat boots and spiked wrist bands. I don't think unless something changes I would order their regular coffee again.
Huggy's prices are completely reasonable. Much lower than the standard "starbucks-type" coffee shops around. Though I did see a sign alerting patrons that he was going to have to do a price increase due to the rising cost of his supplies. It's a sucky thing, and I am sure it's going to piss some people off, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.
My conclusion??? (as if you didn't know already) I love Huggy's Coffee Bar. It's friendly service, good prices and interesting eye catching atmosphere. What else could you want??
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