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Forward momentum creates buzz

When my wife and I opened East End Coffee Co. in May of 2017, we were told over and over again, “I don’t think it will go”, “Lewistown’s not ready for that,” “it will never last” — our very first customer on our first official day of business even told us that “people don’t like businesses like this.” Fortunately, all of those people have been wrong so far.

Opening a small business is a giant commitment. You’ll work all the time, you won’t have much money, you’ll get lots of “helpful advice” and you’ll need a ton of drive, determination and, perhaps most importantly, vision. Aside from selling great coffee, our vision has been to help make Lewistown and Mifflin County the place we know it can be, a place we want to live and a place full of diverse people, projects, and businesses. We were sick of feeling down about our community and tired of hearing people say bad things about the place we live, so we decided to act.

One of the first things we did after opening was start our First Friday event. On the First Friday of every month we stay open late, have a local artist hang their art on our walls for the month and have local musicians perform. The first First Friday event was a huge success, however something like that can’t thrive with only one entity participating. We’ve been thrilled to see more businesses join us every month to the point where we’re at now, with over 15 businesses and organizations regularly participating in First Friday.

Events like First Friday, Goose Day and the Festival of Ice are fun, but they also help develop the community and build a sense of pride. The same can be said about local artists, musicians and art projects like the Wild Geese project by Community Partnerships RC&D or any number of events happening at Evolution Arts Center. It all comes back to that original vision — building community and making Lewistown a better place. All while recognizing that one person can’t do it alone, it takes a large group of people working together to make these events happen and to keep the momentum going.

There’s still a lot of work to be done, we still have people walk into East End and say bad things about Lewistown. We get it — 20 years of neglect and belittling can’t be undone easily, however there is momentum in Lewistown and it can’t be ignored. This can be witnessed downtown every First Friday, or, better yet, with the awesome turnout of enthusiastic people for the grand opening of a new bookstore on North Main Street, The Crooked Shelf.

While momentum is on our side, Lewistown needs your help to keep moving forward. Small businesses, local concerts, quirky events and art shows don’t exist without an involved and enthusiastic audience. Show up, vote with your dollars, start a band, make some art, maybe even consider opening a local business — but most importantly, start having pride in our small community and Choose Optimism.

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Ryan Cherry owns East End Coffee Co. along with his wife, Lillah. When Ryan’s not at East End, he can be found doing graphic and web design and playing in various local bands. He lives in Reedsville with Lillah, their dog Dexter, and cats Ruby and Penelope.

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