Mar
2020
Latrobe area locals
As I slowly accept my inevitable reassimilation back into living at home, I would like to share some local coffee spots in my area. My hometown is incredibly small, containing mainly chain coffee shops such as Starbucks and Dunkin. However, there are still some small local gems with minimal hours and high prices. Despite this, supporting local small businesses is always a feel good activity. Additionally, I have had some great experiences studying at these places when I was younger.
Coffee Bean Cafe. Source
The Coffee Bean is a small local spot that is connected in conjunction with an eyeglasses store. Despite its terrible hours, the location has a lot of comfortable seating, large windows that let in natural light, and calming music. On their website, they claim to use 100% organic coffee and premium tea leaves. Additionally, their housemade treats and sandwiches are fresh and tasty. Personally, I have had very deep connections with this location, as it was where I spent my first summer of high school taking Algebra II. I credit this place as the location that taught me the benefits of self-learning and the value of alone time. My personal favorite here was the iced green tea unsweetened, which was the perfect and refreshing summer treat.
White Rabbit Cafe. Source
The White Rabbit Cafe is another local spot that is slightly farther away from my hometown, in a neighboring town called Greensburg. This location has better hours, as it is located near Seton Hill University, and thus must accommodate for college students. This cafe appeals greatly to younger people, serving specialty housemade treats at affordable prices. Additionally, they have a student discount, which encourages students to go back. Along with their high-quality coffee, they are sustainable and appeal to younger people. They use paper straws and reusable dishes (which is currently stopped for their mugs with the concerns for the coronavirus). The cafe claims that its ingredients are all locally sourced as it is also a small business. Its success can clearly be seen through its customer loyalty. Personally, I have greatly enjoyed trips to the White Rabbit with my friends as it is a great spot to talk and catch up. Its location in downtown Greensburg gives some local activities such as some nearby wall art and small shops to look around.
With these shops readily available to me, I hope to support my local businesses just as much as the chain coffee shops.
Sara Jimenez Rincon
March 20, 2020 at 4:17 pm (5 years ago)I love exploring new coffee shops near me! How I wish I could go out and sit at one right now. These coffee shops look super cute and remind me of the ones in my hometown as well, though I’m not anywhere near a college. I agree that supporting local businesses is super important. Sometimes it’s less convenient and/or more expensive but the quality is higher and you can sleep easy knowing you helped people in your town make a living and pursue their chosen career path/lifestyle. Great post, Joyce!
lfj5100
March 20, 2020 at 7:41 pm (5 years ago)It looks like you have some really cool coffee places in your small town! Now that Gov. Wolf is shutting down non-essential businesses, I hope that the coffee shops will still be open for take-out/grab and go orders, because they seem like really nice places to get some caffeine.
gkr5139
March 20, 2020 at 11:54 pm (5 years ago)This reminded me of all the coffee shops I have around me that I loved to explore throughout high school! It can stink when they have weird hours – my favorite, Lit Cafe, had pretty odd hours and they weren’t open on Mondays. But they can really be great locations to get a little snack and do homework, or just to relax and hang out with friends. I love that the shops you mentioned seem to care about their ingredients and where they’re sourced from, that’s something important to me as a consumer. Loved this post!