Those of us, shall we say, “of a certain age”, will remember the expression, “Yeah, that and a dime will get you a cup of coffee!” It was used to signify that the information being shared was basically worthless, since the cost of a cup of coffee was 10 cents, and the information added no value. But the more telling fact was … coffee used to be so cheap!
Again, us oldsters will relate to this, but back in the day if you wanted a cup of joe, you just went to the local diner. You sat at the counter and they poured your jolt into a small china cup. If you wanted sugar or cream, it was there on the counter. Knock yourself out. It wasn’t “to go” in a paper cup, it wasn’t venti or grande, and it wasn’t 3 bucks.
But then in the early 90’s, Starbucks changed all that. The company went public in ‘92 and opened their first overseas shop in ‘95. Coffee was “a thing” all of a sudden, and specialty coffee shops were popping up in the bigger cities and towns. And in Madison? Well, we eventually got in on the trend, and the very first place I remember to call itself a “Coffee Shop” was the venerable Attic on West Main Street.
“The store opened as a frame shop originally,” says current owner Chris Hornbrook, “and according to legend, the original owner would serve coffee to customers as they waited for their frames to be made. The customers loved the coffee! So they added some baked goods and simple lunch fare. In time the coffee cafe aspect took over and replaced the frame business.”
Chris and his wife Lyndsey are recent new residents to Madison, and they bought the Attic about a year ago. “We came to stay with Lyndsey’s mom who lives here, during Covid, and we just fell in love with Madison. I’d been a full time pastor up in Greenwood, Indiana, and we were looking for a change. Our 5 kids were aged 7 to 14 at the time, and the small town life here seemed like a perfect fit for us.
“The coffee shop has been great, exactly what we needed at this point in our lives. We live upstairs, I can coach junior high baseball and football, and Lyndsey can focus more on roasting the coffee and realizing our vision for the place.”
Speaking of vision, regular customers of The Attic will notice some upgrades and remodelling since the Hornbrooks have taken ownership. The store now boasts all new flooring, fresh wall paint and much more. “We did keep the old bathroom exactly as it was,” relates Chris, “just for old time’s sake. Long time customers can go in there and still get some of the old feel if they want.
“Let’s face it, The Attic has been a well loved staple of this community for decades. We feel like we are standing on the shoulders of giants, as the saying goes. We’re starting out with an already great thing with an amazing customer base, and just putting our spin on it.
“My wife and I have always been really into coffee, so this was a great opportunity to see how far we can take this. We buy our beans from several places, including a specific woman-owned farm in Guatemala that has a very unique flavor profile. Lyndsey does the roasting, right in the front of the store as you come in the door. So it’s all fresh, all handmade, and all done with passion and love.
“Actually, the loyal customers were a big deciding factor in buying the shop. They gave us the confidence to give it a try and see if we could take it to a new place, while still respecting the tradition and history here. It’s only been a little over a year, but I feel like we’ve come so far already. Who knows that the next few years will bring. It’s exciting! We’re just proud to be a part of The Attic and its next 50 years in the great little town.”
HOT TIP OF THE WEEK:
In addition to the fun tribute acts (like the Creedence Clearwater s\hows this past weekend) Red Bicycle Hall is known for hosting live, original music that you won’t often find anywhere else in the region. These are bands and singer-songwriters performing their own music, and the experience can often be totally unique and new for the listener. People will often be hesitant to attend, saying “I don’t know, I’ve never heard of that band.” But when they give it a chance, they just about invariably come away with a big smile and a new appreciation for the craft of original song making. This weekend is a good case in point. On Friday Red Bike is hosting Knotts, a Cincy based ensemble with Madison’s own Jordan Wilson on guitar. And Saturday the MadHop folks are bringing in Willy Tea Taylor and his classic Americana songs. If you like John Prine, you’ll love Willy Tea! And that’s just one venue. The calendar shows 10 shows on Friday and 8 on Saturday. Just another weekend in Indiana’s Music City!
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