REGIONAL UPDATE
What's
ahead
for
Sneaky Beans
2013?
BY ED AVIS
I
t's been a challenging few years for most small businesses,
and the coffee industry has taken its share of lumps (pun
intended!). But the five coffee shop owners and managers
interviewed for this Regional Update are feeling good
about 2013. Naturally, everyone is hoping for an improved
economy. But among the other improvements these owners
are anticipating are new menu items, better parking and
public cuppings of new coffees.
SO UTHEAST
Sneaky Beans
Jackson, Miss.
Jackson has not always been a cool place to live. In
decades past most young people left for more opportunities
and cultural options elsewhere. But that's changing now, says
Caitlin Cox, manager of Sneaky Beans, and this hip coffee
shop is becoming the hangout of the artsy crowd.
"A lot of people left Jackson, but now people are coming
back," Cox says. "And they've found a home in our shop."
Cox says Sneaky Beans has attracted the young crowd with
more locally sourced food, live music and top-flight drinks.
"We've rewritten our recipes to make our drinks simpler,"
she says. "We get our milk from a local source, and our coffee
roaster is local. That's improved the taste of what we're serving."
That trend should continue in 2013, Cox predicts: "I
would certainly like to keep moving in that direction. There's
so much more to do. There's not much coffee culture in this
part of the country, and you have to get people interested in
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the subject. It's just as interesting as wine and other things
people get into."
Part of how Sneaky Beans plans to continue improving
the coffee culture and attracting aficionados is by scheduling
public cuppings. Cox says they hope to hold them on
Saturdays starting early this year.
Sneaky Beans is located in an old house, and the shop still has
the comfortable feel of someone's home. Cox says past residents
of the house occasionally come in and reminisce about the place.
"It still looks and feels like an old house," Cox says.
A large open front room and three smaller rooms provide
comfortable dining areas for the guests. Each room has
several small tables, and three of the four rooms also have
couches and armchairs.
Art from Mississippi artists adorns the walls of the shop. A
local woman curates the art and changes the displays quarterly.
"There's a really homey, peaceful atmosphere here," Cox says.
The new year promises more success for the four-year-old
shop, Cox feels: "I stay pretty optimistic because I get to see
the people come in and get their feedback and we're doing
better, and I think that will continue."
