Conducted by Katie hazard
Who is Brewella?
Brewella is Lakewood’s Grandma. We decided to create the character in order to build a shop that reminds you of all the comforts and coziness of Grandma’s house. She’s always ready to feed you with a delicious crepe, brew you up a wonderful cup of coffee and let you peruse her treasures to find something to take home with you.
Why did you pick crepes?
We chose crepes for two reasons; their deliciousness and their versatility. Being able to serve up both a sweet and savory menu lets us make sure we can satisfy any craving you may come in with. One burner can be whipping up a sweet and sugary smore’s crepe while the other burner is getting a savory egg bacon and cheese breakfast crepe ready. Crepes also allow us to make seasonal recipes including a pumpkin pie crepe, chocolate peppermint crepe, and a ton more we’ve been playing around with. We see the crepes as a blank canvas for us to have fun and experiment with in order to keep new and delicious recipes always popping up on the menu.
The atmosphere in here is very unique, can you tell me how it came about?
We wanted something that was unique to bring to Lakewood. We thought about how we could do that, and we realized when it came to eating and hosting, our biggest inspirations from our past were our grandmothers. From there we just took off and explored thrift shops and antique shops all around the city to find some classic grandma decor and collectibles to litter around the shop. We wanted our shop to be full of color and movement to spark your feeling of home and coziness.
Most of the art on the walls is for sale, how do you go about finding the artists?
The walls are littered with art, mirrors, prints, and decorations that we find from all over the city. We asked some of our artist friends if we could show off their work, similarly to how your grandma liked to show off your artwork on her fridge when you were younger. There are work and art all over the store from our friends and family from the Brewella portrait behind the bar to our coffee sleeves.
Where do you find all of the antiques?
A lot of thrift stores and online searching. On each trip, I just keep picturing my Grandma’s house and ask myself “would this have fit on her walls?”
What is it like being a small business in a quirky town like Lakewood?
Lakewood has been so welcoming and energizing during the entire process. We’ve seen so much support from our other local businesses, so to be a part of that community that makes Lakewood so unique is kind of surreal for us. As residents of Lakewood, we know how special the city and the people in it are. It’s truly one of a kind.
On your Instagram (@brewellas) you have photographs of the building undergoing construction. How long was the process of building a coffee shop?
We got the keys in December of 2017. Since this was our first time for us building anything like this, it was a roller coaster ride for sure. If you come into the shop you can see just how many projects we had before opening to make the space so colorful and fun. There were so many times where we would spend hours looking for the perfect light fixtures or wallpapers online to the point where we were pulling out our hair, but in the end we could not be happier.
Where do you get your coffee beans from?
We decided to team up with Phoenix Coffee Co because we wanted a local roaster who understands coffee inside and out. They have been so helpful throughout the process in making sure we can serve up a cup of joe to their standards and we’re so excited to keep on working together to enhance Brewella’s coffee game in the future.
Will you ever expand your hours, and host any more events?
Now that we have some time under our belts, we’re beginning to look at switching some hours up and hosting some night events like open mic nights. We’re constantly trying to listen to the community and hear what they think and want from us.
What do you want Brewella’s to bring to the community?
We want Brewella’s to bring even more color and fun to a community that is known for being unique and diverse. To us, our motivation was to make something for Lakewood and the community that is special and unique to us; something that you can’t just find in every city. Brewella’s is place for people in our community to take family and friends that is the perfect illustration of the Lakewood community. It’s cozy and homey and a little slice of Grandma for the community to enjoy together.
