While Lewis and Clark students were on summer break, Maeva’s Coffee’s was to open at 1320 Milton Rd. in the Milton Schoolhouse in Alton.
Meredith and Joel Elliott, Maeva’s owners, started the Kickstarter campaign Oct.12, 2013 and ran for 30 days to reach their goal of $15,000. With just 228 backers, Maeva’s exceeded its goal with the campaign totaling $15,782.
With the help of their Kickstarter contributors, the Elliotts have been able to bring life to their age of exploration, Gypsy-themed coffee shop. The shop features a bookshelf, with names written on the books, for those who donated at least $100 to get the coffee house off the ground.
The Elliotts support the local economy with menu items either made in house, or from other local business. Maeva’s uses an organic, private blend of coffee from Goshen Coffee in Edwardsville.
One of the most versatile items, quiche, ranges in a variety of flavors from day to day. Recently on Facebook, Maeva’s has called out to customers for an Iron Chef style challenge to see what quiche flavors would come out of the weirdest ingredient people could think of.
“We have a small menu, so it stays fantastically yummy,” Meredith said.
Even though requests to expand the menu have been made, she feels it’s important to leave it concise to provide higher quality drinks and eats with every order. However, with Fall just around the corner, soup will be added to the menu.
To further give back to the community, Maeva’s is currently hosting classes in their Community Business Series. Provide a variety of tips on topics from how to write a business plan to pull together a professional look with makeup.
While Maeva’s may have started out to be coffee shop, it has become a place with something for everyone.
“It’s [Maeva’s] perfect for everyone. The atmosphere is good and everything I’ve eaten or drank here is delicious,” Alton native and customer Jennifer Ickes said.
For information about Maeva’s hours, renting out the location or menu items call (618) 581-7510, visit www.maevascoffee.com.
Contact Athena at athenawhitty@yahoo.com
