Local pop-up coffee shop Living Millennially has been serving specialty oat milk lattes around Monroe County since late 2021 and now has a permanent location in Maeystown with the recently opened cafe, The Roastery.

As previously reported, Living Millennially owners Paige Hewett and Caleb Wolz got their start in the cafe business with Proving Ground in Columbia, making their move to the pop-up during the height of COVID-19 pandemic protocols.

Based out of Waterloo, they’ve set up shop in locations throughout the county,  primarily the Monroe County Farmer’s Market, though they’ve also worked alongside other local businesses like Dear Diva Desserts in Columbia.

In previously speaking with the Republic-Times, Hewett and Wolz described the distinctly millennial experience of operating a pop-up coffee shop, remarking that the overall vibe of the business is “bougie on a budget.”

Just earlier this year, the duo didn’t have any plans to pursue a brick-and-mortar location. Wolz was particularly skeptical about such a move, but the opportunity appears to have arisen in recent months.

“I was thinking, ‘Well, I don’t know if we really need a space,’” Wolz said. “But I think Paige mentioned as well that we wouldn’t be opposed to it given the correct circumstances, and the correct circumstances just kinda fell into our lap.”

Their search for a permanent location really came as their business at the farmer’s market boomed this year. With a high number of deliveries and a need for greater space for storage and roasting, the two were on the lookout for a space besides Hewett’s home and the garage where the pop-up’s camper is stored.

They received a great deal of help from Matthew Schweizer, owner of Hopskeller Brewing Company in Waterloo. Schweizer also operated Around the Corner Coffee Company in Maeystown but announced in August he simply didn’t have the time to manage the business anymore and would be selling the store to Living Millennially.

The Roastery hosted a soft opening for the community last Friday, with an even greater crowd outside its window during Maeystown’s Oktoberfest on Sunday.

Both days, by Hewett’s and Wolz’s accounts, were rather successful, with Oktoberfest proving especially busy.

Additionally, the village in general seems to be quite happy to have the new business in the community.

“The town has been more than welcoming,” Wolz said. “It’s been really great. We were definitely, I wouldn’t say concerned, but intrigued as to how we would fit down there. But everybody there has been so welcoming, so excited for us to open and happy about the sort of vibe and the energy we’re bringing to the town.”

Even with the warm welcome, the two have had some concerns about operating the business out of one of the county’s smaller, more rural communities – especially given their branding and focus on a younger customer base.

Those concerns have been tempered a bit given the positive response over the past few days. They noted that, though they specifically offered whole milk to many of their older customers, most everyone opted for oat milk in their drinks Friday and Sunday.

“I am not gonna lie, I’m definitely nervous, but I would say, even with the pop-up, I had these same reservations about just serving oat milk lattes in Waterloo,” Hewett said. “I don’t know, it seemed really bizarre to me, and I was really scared to put myself out there, and it went over really, really well.”

Hewett and Wolz further expressed hopes of bringing some of their younger customers to Maeystown.

They also said many folks in Maeystown are generally supportive of having younger business owners join the community.

“The people we’ve talked to who own businesses in Maeystown, they’ve come out and said ‘Hey, we’re not gonna be here forever, and we’re really happy to see younger people coming out like you guys and starting a business here,’” Hewett said. “In 20 years or 10 years when they’re no longer there, who’s gonna continue these traditions that they do? I would love to be a part of that, and I would hope that, if The Roastery is in Maeystown, I hope to bring a younger audience to Maeystown and then those traditions can kind of carry on.”

While The Roastery serves as a big change for Hewett and Wolz, they stressed that the pop-up would continue operating as usual, cropping up from spring to fall while The Roastery stays open year-round.

“We plan to run the pop-up April through October with a main focus on the Monroe County Farmer’s Market and any kind of events in town,” Hewett said. “We live in Waterloo, so we like to be a part of the town that we live in as much as possible.”

With fall getting underway, the farmer’s market coming to a close and the big Oktoberfest celebration now past, the duo are eager to see what regular business will be like for the store.

“We’re just wanting to see where it goes,” Wolz said. “The town has been very excited, but also, it’s a town of 147 people, so when it’s not an event, we’re kinda curious what the day-to-day is gonna look like down there for us. There’s a little bit of this anticipation to see what a normal day in Maeystown looks like, and I think it’ll just be starting to figure that out, see where we fit in all that. But we’re excited.”

The Roastery will have brief hours through October until the farmer’s market season concludes.

Located at 1103 Mill Street, Maeystown, the cafe will be open from 7 a.m. to noon Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, with Thursday-Sunday hours for November to be announced.

For more information, visit livingmillennially.com.