New Year's Wish

This is a wonderful New Year's Wish from Sam Simoes over at the Taylor County Blog Project:

"May in 2009 we experience the sense of community brought together by the desire of making Taylor County a place where fond memories are met with a vision for the future."

Thanks, Sam.
I second that wish.

Happy New Year to All!

With an eye towards the New Year

We're going to begin adding more healthy, whole foods to our regular repertoire.

This morning there are fresh Banana Nut muffins and mini-loaves: plenty of bananas, whole wheat, flax seeds, coconut, and pecans.

The whole wheat bagels are rising right now. I added flax meal to these, too: a nuttier flavor will complement the good chewiness of a fresh bagel.

We also have a pumpkin-orange-carrot bar with very little sugar - this batch does have a thin sugared glaze to give it a touch of sweetness. Next time we're going to try an oat-crumbly topping.

Other goodies soon to come: Bran Muffins and Granola Bars.

Remember, too, that we bake everything from scratch right here in our tiny little kitchen, so if you have something in particular that you'd like us to bake for you, we can do that, too.

Website juggling & What's for lunch?

We're going to back to the simplicity of making this blogsite the main website. The look has changed slightly and I have more control over the content (and I already know how to do it, so there's nothing new to learn right now).

Thanks for your patience while the changes are being added.

Oh, and lunch?
In addition to our regular hot lunch we're serving sandwiches on our fresh homemade bread.

We're also adding bagels, bran muffins, and several other healthy options. (Don't worry; we're keeping the decadent desserts, too.)

Wholesome, Healthy Food Menu

We use only the freshest ingredients. Always.

Chef's Salad:


Fresh.
Wholesome.
Healthy.

We have been very pleased to the response we've had since we began offering whole grains.
We are continuing to expand our healthy food options; if you don't see something you want, just ask.

We cook up a wholesome, home-style hot lunch everyday. Look over there to the right-hand side of the screen to see today's menu items.
We also serve a variety of sandwiches and an assortment of sides to go with them.

These items are freshly baked from scratch everyday and are available in whole grain:

Bagels
Sausage, Egg, & Cheese Rolls
Ham, Egg, & Cheese Rolls
Pepperoni Rolls
Ham & Cheddar Rolls
Breads - we make the majority of our sandwiches with whole wheat bread


These items are periodic, but we always have something fresh:

Banana Bread
Muffins
Sugar Free Carrot Cake - No Sugar, No Sugar Substitutes. This dense cake is chock full of nuts, raisins, dates, carrots, and lightly sweetened with fruit juice. That's it: just simple and wholesome.
Fresh Fruit
Tabouli with plenty of tomatoes & parsley
Hummus with an assortment of vegies and chips for dipping
Pasta Salad - always a colorful assortment

Special dietary considerations:
Vegetarian & Vegan options are available, including bakery items

Have other concerns? Just let us know what you need. Because we bake everything right here -from scratch- we have control over all ingredients. We are innovative and can work with you to find a recipe that fits your needs and your palate- guaranteed.

48 hours notice for special orders.

Bakery Menu

Bakery Menu

Because we bake everything from scratch right here in our tiny little kitchen, we're capable of baking just about anything.
Here's what's coming out of the oven everyday:

Breakfast:
Bagels - nice & chewy, both white & whole wheat
Sausage, Egg, & Cheese Rolls - both white & whole wheat
Ham, Egg, & Cheese Rolls - both white & whole wheat

Lunch:
Pepperoni Rolls - both white and whole wheat
Ham & Cheddar Rolls - both white and whole wheat

Cookies, cakes, cheesecakes, muffins, sweet breads, cinnamon buns....
Everyday it's something good!

We've been very pleased with the response to the whole wheat offerings; we will continue to add whole grains.

This is by no means am exhaustive list; if you can think it, we can bake it - let us know what you want.

[We can even bake vegan goodies- Cheryl made a carrot cake chock full of dates, raisins, and carrots and topped it with a fruit juice-sweetened tofu frosting.
Okay, okay... I know that's not for everyone, but I meant it when I said we can do about anything. And for the record: the tofu frosting was delicious!]

Click here for a blog post 'Bakery' label search for pictures and other information.

Coffee/Drink Menu

I cannot format our menu correctly; I'll re-post as soon as I can figure it out....

Be assured that we offer the highest quality coffee. If you have a favorite espresso-based drink, we can make it.

Espresso, Lattes, Iced Drinks, Blended Iced Drinks, Smoothies, Italian Soda, Cremosa...
We can do it all!

Hours

Monday - Thursday 6:15a - 7:00p
Friday 6:15a - 9:00p
Saturday 7:15a - 9:00p
Sunday Closed

Contact

The Grafton 123 House of Coffee
123 W Main Street
Grafton, WV 26354

304-903-4717

304-903-4617 fax

website: www.grafton123.com

Email: Coffee@Grafton123.com

Pictures

Bagels!

Yesterday was our first try at Bagels.
Cheryl made a yummy, chewy white bagel.
Today we have fresh whole wheat bagels.
Yum!

Morning Coffee Smiles

I love mornings. [Yes, I drink quite a bit of coffee and that helps.]
We have a thriving regular morning crowd and I love seeing these folks day after day; I love that we can help get their morning started.

(And thank you for letting me post your picture :) )

Another Snow picture

Weird Weather

It seems odd to post a picture of snow this morning; today it's 50+ degrees, cloudy and, after the recent cold and snow, downright balmy.


This picture was taken very early in the morning, before full daylight. I had just shoveled the parking lot and salted the walkways and I was bounding around with my camera. Some of the other pictures I'm going to go post over at the Taylor County Blog Project.

Pastry Case Goodies

As usual, my pictures are not all that great, but I'll post a few anyway (it's never stopped me before, has it?).

A 3-layer White Christmas Cake with pecans and coconut. It's very heavy, very large, and very delicious:


A sugar cookie Christmas tree, complete with red M&M decorations:

I was able to find 6 (7?) different sized star cookie cutters and this is the tasty result.

And a full view of the current contents of the pastry case:

Coffee Cheesecake, Citrus Cheesecake, Chocolate-with-Orange-filling-Roll, Peanut Butter Truffle Cheesecake, White Christmas Cake, Death-by-Chocolate Torte, Pumpkin Cheesecake, and assorted Cake Truffles (rum, coconut, chocolate, espresso, german chocolate...).

Because we make everything from scratch right here in our little tiny kitchen, we are flexible, innovative, and open-minded. If you want something that you don't see, you can always special order.

Whipping Cream Mess

We got a new cream whipper. It's a fancy stainless steel contraption. I've never used one before, so of course I had to make a big mess. I read the directions, but I still made a mess.
I started to clean up, but stopped and grabbed the camera first:


We've got it figured out now.
Mostly.

Christmas Lights!

Remember last year's Christmas light debacle? (If you don't know what I'm talking about, you can read about it here.)

We're slightly more together (as far as Christmas lights go, anyway) this year:


Merry Christmas!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Here are a few pictures (finally).
This is the first special order pumpkin cheesecake that went out the door in our new bakery boxes:


When Kathy came to pick it up, I was standing by with my camera (and did a good job of cutting Cheryl right out):


Here's a slightly better view with Cheryl (blurry) in the background.
Cheryl bakes everything from scratch.


Here's a less blurry picture, but neither Amber or Cheryl was ready for it:

Kathy: Thanks for letting me take pictures of your Thanksgiving dessert.

Yum.

I need to get back into the habit of taking pictures.
Here's an example of something I need to post a picture of:

For lunch I am having a Strawberry Smoothie (100% Fruit!) and a whole wheat pepperoni roll with Gruyere cheese baked right in.
It's fantastic.

Our regular pepperoni rolls are pretty fantastic, too, but the whole wheat is something a little healthier and the good cheese makes it quite decadent.

Yes! We have wireless!

It's free.
It's fast.
You can pick up a very strong signal at any table, but we also have a cozy little laptop bar:

It's Snowing!

Yesterday -and so far today- it snowed big beautiful flakes all day long.
Viewed through the glass of the front door, the red caboose makes a beautiful backdrop to the first white of winter.
Everyone comes in shivering, rosy-cheeked, snow-covered, and ready for something warm to drink.
In here, the blues are playing, it's 72 degrees, the smells of coffee, freshly baked cinnamon buns, and today's lunch special simmering in the crock pot make it nice and cozy, the perfect respite from the weather.

Yep, we're open.
We'll be open even if school is closed; the coffee place has to be open in this kind of weather.
Come on in. :)

Holiday Baking

We're doing the baking for a lot of Thanksgiving get-togethers this year.

Pumpkin Rolls, Pumpkin Cheesecakes, Pumpkin Pies, Cookies, Dinner Rolls, Braided Bread, Chocolate Covered Pretzels, Cake Truffles, Cinnamon Buns.....

Go to this page on our main site and scroll to the bottom for a sampling of what's available.

The Grafton 123 Coffee

The Grafton 123 Private Label Coffee is simply the best.
Exclusively blended and freshly roasted for The 123, our coffee is world-class.

Whole Beans are available for purchase at a competitive price.

also available:
Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans


The Grafton 123's new Web Store is currently in the planning stages.

Holiday Baking

We've been taking orders for holiday baking.
The two most popular special orders are Pumpkin Pies and Pumpkin Rolls. Dinner Rolls take third.
We've also already been selling quite a few Cake Truffle boxes - a dozen or dozen and a half cute little cake truffles packed nicely in a gift box - as hostess gifts. It sounds as if the-hard-to-buy-for person also will be surprised with these delicious delights come Christmas time.
I'd say I'd post pictures, but I'm always late posting pictures.
I will post pictures.
Eventually.

What's Cooking?

Or, more accurately, what's baking?

Lemon Bars
Cinnamon Buns
Pepperoni Rolls
Sausage and Cheese Rolls
Ham & Cheddar Rolls
Cake Truffles
Chocolate Covered Pretzels
Tiramisu

We also keep fresh fruit on hand at all times.
Every day we serve a different, homemade, yummie hot lunch (eat in or take out).
Grab-and-Go Lunches are available, too.

Granny Sue

Thursday October 30, right after trick-or-treating, Granny Sue came to visit.
The Mountain Statesman covered it very well; I'll try to remember to post a link when it's available online.
Granny Sue covered it very well on her blog: Check it out here.

It was a chilly evening with a great turn-out; there were lots of little ghosts and goblins running around.

Thank you, Granny Sue!

Taylor Made

My Taylor Made pictures aren't the best.
I've got a couple here that are worth posting:




But I don't have pictures of the people dancing or the crowd spread out all the way across the parking lot and Main St and all the way over to the bank.
I don't have pictures of The 123 with a constant line out the front door.
I don't have pictures of the enjoyment of the day.
But it was a great day for Taylor County.
And the sun came out!

Thanks Taylor Made!
And Thank You to all the people who made this happen!

Taylor Made

Wow.
The Taylor Made concert on Saturday was magnificent!

The best part:
On such short notice, everyone pulled together to make it happen.
We had a great turnout (300-500 people) and the music was well worth it.

I'll post pictures soon.

Thank you!

Prosperity

An unknown someone sent The Grafton 123 a prosperity tree.

I'd post a picture of it, but the ones I've taken didn't turn out that well. It's actually sitting behind Kevin in the windowsill in the previous post.

I have no idea who sent it, but it is perfect.
It came via UPS in a tall, thin box. Michelle and Amber opened it and unpacked it, thinking it was a supply shipment. When they brought it out of the kitchen and I saw it for the first time, I knew immediately what it was -its symbolism- and felt a moment of total gratitude (I've been feeling gratitude a lot lately, and this was definitely gratitude).

Thank you to whoever it is who had the insight and wisdom to do something so perfect.

Kevin Ford

Our first live music event:


Kevin Ford, graciously offered to play for The 123.
We had a great turn-out and a GREAT show!

Kevin, thank you so much for your generosity.

I also want to thank all the folks who showed up this evening.
I hope everyone enjoyed themselves and I'll look forward to seeing more of you all in the future.

Thank you!

Taylor Made Comes Home!

Taylor Made -Country Music Superstars- will take downtown Grafton for a ride!

On Saturday October 25 Grafton will rock to the sounds of Taylor Made, a country chart-climbing band whose roots extend to a back porch here in Taylor County.

What: A Good Time with some Great Music!

When: 3:00pm Saturday October 25

Where: Main Street in downtown Grafton - the City of Grafton property beside The Grafton 123 House of Coffee.

How Much: FREE.
Yes, really, I said FREE. The local trio -Brian Duckworth, Wendy Williams, & Greg Duckworth- are pleased to have an opportunity to bring their talent back to the community where it all began. There are, however, costs associated with the sound, stage, additional musicians, & transportation. Several local businesses have come together to share expenses, so donations will be accepted.

Why: Taylor County is proud of Taylor Made's success!
This is the perfect opportunity to showcase our hometown celebrities, the great strides that downtown Grafton has made recently (the new sidewalks and streetlamps look great, don't they?), and the growth of Taylor County!

Thanks for coming out to this Homecoming Celebration!

See you Saturday!


*cross-posted at http://www.taylorcountywestvirginia.blogspot.com/ and http://www.mkstover.com/

Taylor County Facts at the TC Blog

I have been posting the Taylor County Fact of the Day over at the Taylor County Blog. Go here to see all the 'Facts' in reverse chronological order.

History - The Grafton 123

The Colerider Building
The brick building at 123 West Main Street was built by Henry Colerider in 1890. Originally a shoe store, this cozy narrow building has also been home to a bakery (circa 1935), an insurance agency (Hood's), and a dentist's office (most notably -and well-loved- Dr. Bennett).
In 2008, at 118 years of age, the 1st floor of this unique building underwent renovation to become The Grafton 123, a modern coffee house. An entrance into the broad side of the building, facing the parking lot, opened up the small space and allows for outdoor seating.
The Grafton 123 opened for business on October 8th, 2008 and we've been busy ever since. Plans for growth are in the works.

If you travel Main Street, we're hard to miss. Stop in and have a cup of coffee, a slice of homemade cake, or a wholesome hot lunch.

Everything is made from scratch and baked fresh daily!


Colerider Building:






1890:

This is The 123 when we purchased it in July 2007. The vines and trees were covering the building and beginningto grow into it:

And on Opening Day, October 2008:






January 2009:


We are adding on! Keep reading the blog for updates.


May 2010:

Live Music this Saturday Night

Kevin Ford will be performing at The 123 beginning at 7pm on Saturday October 18, 2008.

More details to come....

Taylor County Facts

Taylor County Fact #1
Tygart Dam is 1,921 feet long, making it longer than Hoover Dam (Hoover Dam is still taller).


I was speaking with a prominent citizen of Taylor County Saturday night and he was surprised to learn that this is a fact. His surpirse has prompted me to start The Taylor County Fact of the Day. We have a ton of interesting, historical, unique attractions in Taylor County and I want to share some of them. There's enough to last a long, long time.

Maybe I should post these on the Taylor County site...

Monday October 13th, 2008

Cheryl just baked whole wheat blueberry muffins.
She's baking up a fresh batch of Pepperoni & Mozzerella Rolls, Ham & Cheddar Rolls, & Salami & Provolone Rolls.

NOT construction pictures

This makes me very happy to be able to post pictures of NOT construction!

Let me introduce Amber:

She can not only run the cash register better than myself, she can make an amazing cup of coffee (or espresso or cappuccino or latte or mochaccino...), too.

We opened Wednesday morning at 7am. At 7:05am Curtis and Johnny came in for their morning coffee:


Today we had fresh homemade apple cinnamon muffins for breakfast, fresh homemade oatmeal raisin cookies for a mid-morning snack, and wonderful fresh homemade cheesy pepperoni rolls for lunch.
(It smells wonderful in here!)

We're Open

Yay! We did it!
Yesterday was our first day.
We were busy!
We're looking forward to more of it.

I know I said I'd post pictures, but not today.
Soon.

Opening

I'm just stopping in long enough to say that we'll be opening this week.
Most likely Wednesday, but that's not absolutely certain.

I don't have pictures to post for you yet, but if you drive past, you'll definitely see the difference. I won't ruin it for you; next time I'll post a picture.

I hope to see you all soon!

Interior Picture

This is a relatively new picture (2 days ago?):


The sign in the window is the sign that will hang over the sidewalk. It will go up soon; I'll take pictures. There's still a little bit of construction clutter, but it's focused around the front door now and PC is finishing up with all the interior trim. The finish work is time consuming, but the effect is worth it.

Two Weeks

Two Weeks-ish.
The 'ish' gives me some breathing room.

Progress in Pictures

"Random Pictures" would be an appropriate title, too, but "Progress..." sounds much better, huh?

Up until last weekend, the toilet sat in the middle of the bathroom floor:


And then I snapped this glamorous shot of PC setting the toilet (yes, I said setting and not sitting; he's sitting on a bucket):

If you look closely, you'll see that he's eating an ice cream bar. Eating ice cream over a brand new toilet is just one of the many fun things we've been able to do in preparation for opening.
It's a very nice toilet, too; it's one of those 'whooshy' fast-flushers (that's the scientific term).

Here's the view from down the street:

The ubiquitous mess in the parking lot is fast approaching its final days; parking lot clean-up is scheduled at the end of the 'To-do to Open' List.

The sawhorses in the entryway are nearing an end, too. There's some final trim work to do that requires sawing and that's about it (finally).


However, we still have the occasional pile of miscellaneous tools/parts. Fortunately, these jumbles are mostly growing in the closets:


That's it for now.
More soon.

The Espresso Machine is Here!

This is a picture I snapped when the installers first unpacked it and set it on the counter last week:


Now that it smells like coffee inside, I know we're getting close!

Countertops

The cabinet bases were built and ready for counter tops:


Here's the first piece:


Second piece:


It really made a difference in the feel of the building to have finished counter tops.


They look good, too:


There's still a bit of painting left to do (the section around the front door inside and touch-ups), wood staining and sealing, and trim finishing and caulking.

It's coming together.
Yesterday the espresso machine was installed. And, as usual, I don't have the pictures ready to put up yet.
Next time.

Menu Board Installation

I posted the opening special last time. Now I want to post the pictures of the chalkboard installation.
Here's the first one:


The board on the bottom is notched so that the bottom of the blackboard can sit right down inside it.

A little to the right:


Keep in mind that these things are at least a half inch thick and weigh well over 100 pounds each!



These are all old slate boards out of the old high school!



The very nice woman who now owns the old building gave them to us! I haven't asked for her permission to use her name, but I don't think she'd mind if I thanked her here, publicly. It was a very kind gesture on her part and it just seems right: A piece of old Grafton in our new coffee house.



Yes, we do have counter tops.
Yes, they look great.
No, I don't have pictures uploaded yet.
Yes, I will get to it soon.

Menu Board - Opening Special

I have a ton of random pictures, but I figured you were probably sick of them by now.
Instead of randomness, here's something that speaks for itself:


Progress!
I have a ton of pictures of cabinet building, equipment, menu board installation, random jumbled messes, pizza crust, and the bathroom, but the "Opening Special" is the closest I have to proof of "very close to opening."

The countertops will be installed today! I'll take a ton of pictures (and try to post them before they get old).

More Random Picture

Here's a quick post in the spirit of trying to keep up with the blog even if it means posting old pictures:



These next ones are a little bit newer; the saws are a good representation of what is happening inside (I will post new inside pictures soon):






Here's where the wood scraps go:





The countertop comes next week and the espresso machine will be here the week of the 8th!

I've had an incredible response to the tiny 'Now Taking Applications' ad in the Mountain Stateman (Thank you!).

I also have a new sign that will go up this weekend with others soon to follow....