City brew

(photo Greg Barry/Collegian)

Collegian News Editor, senior Mary Petrides, explored Hillsdale's downtown coffee culture this week. Here's what she found.

"I don’t actually like coffee, but it’s pretty much my favorite thing ever. When people say “mocha,” “latte,” “hazelnut,” “espresso,” “grande” – to me, those are just coffee words. But I remember crawling into my mom’s lap (back when I was young enough to do that) in the mornings when she had her coffee. Now that I’m (ostensibly) grown up, the smell of coffee is that warm, safe-and-loved-in-Mom’s-lap feeling. But I can’t drink a sip of it without making a face. I just don’t like it.
And I probably should have told my editor that before I let her assign me to write about local coffee shops. But coffee shops are good for more than coffee – they’re some of the best places to hang out, even if you don’t like coffee."

Checker Records

(photo Joe Buth/Collegian)

One of the quirkiest places in town, Checker Records provides a variety of drinks, many named for musicians like Jimmi Hendrix, Bob Seger, and Jimmy Buffett. The shop also sells CDs, scarves, handbags and body jewelry, a whole wall is filled with black T-shirts reminiscent of rock bands. Checker Records can relieve that cooped-up, all-campus-buildings-look-the-same feeling.

Checker Records is a music store that sells coffee, not a coffee shop that sells music. It has a table or two, but it’s not really a place to settle down with homework or friends.

Price: $1.35 for a 16-ounce regular coffee

Broad Street Market

(photo Greg Barry/Collegian)

Beginning this fall, Broad Street began serving coffee from Evelyn Bay, a coffee company in Brooklyn, Mich., about 30 miles away from Hillsdale. The beans are roasted in Brooklyn and shipped to Broad Street, where they are ground and served the same day. The market's extensive and the size and distance of its tables make it a good place for a casual evening with friends or an off-campus study spot.

Tables are few and all near the large picture windows, so it can feel exposed. The market is a market; the beer cave and wine rack contribute to a less-than-cozy atmosphere.

Price: $1.59 for a 20-ounce regular coffee

Jilly Beans

(photo Greg Barry/Collegian)

If you’re looking for cozy, Jilly Beans is your place. Its calm violet walls, its couches, and even its painted bathrooms make it feel homey. Its beans come from a Michigan-based roaster and the beans are ground in the shop. Live music – jazz, country, folk, Celtic – plays almost every Friday.

Jilly Beans is small, and when full can begin to feel cramped. Initially, it seems like a good place for a date, but the likelihood of running into other Hillsdale students is about 90 percent, making private conversations difficult. Short hours can sometimes cramp college schedules.

Price: $1.75 for a 16-oz regular coffee

Volume One

(photo Sally Nelson/Collegian)

Except during karaoke nights, coffee is free to customers who come to browse the books. Interesting characters show up frequently at Volume One, ready for the sort of political conversation that doesn’t happen on campus.

Volume One brews one type of coffee – regular – because it’s a bookstore with coffee, not a coffee shop.

Price: Free, $1 during karaoke nights