For all of the coffee drinkers out there sick of the commercialization of the Bistro take a trip to the Cowhill Express in downtown Commerce. It’s definitely not Starbucks, but sometimes it’s nice to take a break from the mainstream money maker and get in touch with your hometown, or at least the town supporting your school.
Upon entering the coffee shop, the feel is that of the 1930s, with the exception of the television. There are checkers tables with Coke and Dr. Pepper lids as pieces. Computers with Internet access to remind you where you are now bring customers back to the present. The group of four older women playing cards is a priceless reminder of how important small town coffee shops are to the community. Starbucks doesn’t give you that.
Even the bathrooms at Cowhill Express are quaint, complete with small horizontal cartoon drawings of dogs playing in a field.
The store is open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Aside from the study-friendly atmosphere, Cowhill Express also plans to have acoustic concerts at some point in the fall.
They have a simple menu with pastries and coffee. There are little jars of coffee beans lined up ready for you to smell-test the beans before you drink them, and pick out which roast you’d like to try first. Espresso is also on the menu with macchiato, lattes, and even frozen concoctions, depending on your mood. Iced coffee and tea is also offered. In fact, there’s a huge wall of all herbal Stash teas including a variety of black, white, green and flavored teas.
If customers are hungry the establishment has a variety of edible goodies on sale all day long. There are cinnamon rolls, carrot cake, cookies and bagels just to name a few. These delicacies give Cowhill Express the ability to compete with larger chain coffee shops without taking away from its country essence.
The only downside to this slice of Commerce is the inability to control the temperature in the bar area. Due to the running of several machines, patrons sitting at the bar may find themselves uncomfortably warm while waiting for their drink. There is a silver lining here though with the winter months approaching and the machines naturally producing heat, Cowhill could find more customers hanging around the shop to stay out of the cold.