Downtown Elizabethtown, despite its quaint and rustic appearance, is home to several new and bustling businesses. Every time I step off campus to check out the local specialties — which, admittedly, does not happen often — I always seem to find a new eatery or store I have never seen before.
For example, I like to think I found Hiester’s Soft Serve in town before it became as wildly popular as it is now. I’m so much of a hipster that at Folklore the other day, I burned my mouth on my coffee before it was cool.
On the topic of coffee, overused jokes aside, Etown is home to a fairly new coffeehouse known as Artspress. Just calling the place a coffeehouse, though, does not do justice to the multidimensional nature of the business. Think of Artspress as a coffee shop meets art school meets picture gallery.
One look at the business’s website reveals its hybridized combination of brews and brushes. Naturally, any Etown local would ask what separates Artspress from Folklore, Etown’s coffeehouse mainstay. Whereas Folklore’s emphasis is primarily on its beverages, Artspress — as the name suggests — focuses equally or more strongly on its artistic activities offered.
Artspress is the creation of Jeneva Augello, who began work on her business in June 2013. The idea behind Artspress, however, has been 20 years in the making. Augello offers an eight-pronged definition of “Artspress” on the business’s website:
1. to express oneself through art
2. a fun place to share time with friends
3. a paint-your-own ceramic studio
4. home of Jeneva Gallery featuring local
art
5. a coffeehouse serving organic fair trade brews
6. wellness activities including yoga & Reiki (a Japanese form of stress reduction)
7. a venue for local artists to collaborate
8. a unique Victorian atmosphere
If it were not already apparent, Artspress is not just another coffeehouse. The fact that the coffeehouse aspect of the establishment appears halfway through the definition may be some indication of what a visit to Artspress entails. Augello’s business even offers numerous art and fitness classes throughout the week, as viewable on the website’s event calendar.
The place even offers oxygen therapy, which is apparently quite different from breathing normally. By taking in scented oxygen via oxygen therapy, a person receives more oxygen to the brain, heart and lungs than simply breathing in “normal” air. I’m no expert on the science aspects of this markedly hipster practice, but I would actually like to try it at some point. It could be a serious breath of fresh air. And if all else fails, I might try my hand at Reiki.
I must acknowledge that I have never been to Artspress, even at the time of writing this article. Therefore, I cannot provide a review of the establishment or any reflections on my experience there. I can say quite certainly, at the very least, that it has piqued my interest.
I do not consider myself to be much of an artist, but I can absolutely get behind a good cup of coffee or something to relieve the stresses of being a college student. This, to me, seems to be the appeal of Artspress: there’s something for everyone. Pictures on the website show young children enjoying the art classes and studio time. The Etown crowd could probably capitalize on the stress-reduction options at Artspress. And who could turn down a nice cup of caffeinated goodness? What’s more, you can call ahead to order your drink in the morning and pick it up from your car just outside the building.
What really makes small towns like Etown stand out is the town’s sense of character. From what I can tell, Artspress adds a tremendous deal of personality to Etown and is far from redundant with Folklore. While the latter is more tailored to curling up with a good book or pretending to toil studiously on your homework, you can’t work on your breathing exercises or latest artistic masterpiece there without getting a weird look or two. I was originally skeptical of Artspress when I began my research on what the place is all about, but now I’m nothing but interested.
Etown students play such an integral role in the success of local businesses. The very least we can do is give each of them a chance. Regardless of whether or not you consider yourself a hipster, the message here is clear: don’t knock it until you try it. This tired adage has a lot of implications for our adventure-seeking generation and reminds me to reserve my judgment until the last possible moment. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some oxygen therapy to attend to. Don’t hold your breath for an update.