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O ccupying most of Haas' time lately has been the opening of Muggswigz's second location. He says he knew the company was ready to grow "because I was able to spend more time away from our original store, and we had a great group of well-trained baristas." He had the confidence to forge ahead because he "waited until the profits from the original store could cover the fixed costs of the new store." The new shop is in the upscale suburb of Jackson Township, and it's well connected to residents there simply due to its location on a main thoroughfare. "It gets about five times the amount of traffic as the downtown location," Haas says. The Jackson Township store is only about six miles from the downtown spot, but it feels like a world away. Located in a strip mall, the shop has a lighter, cleaner feel, with blond wood floors and tables and an abundance of natural light. Haas says opening the second shop was considerably easier than launching the first. "Our original shop was mostly built out by myself, my father (an electrical engineer) and my friends," he says. A contractor handled the Jackson Township location renovations. Haas had refurbished equipment and inventory to use in the new store, which helped keep costs down. Haas says that while the new shop's early business came largely from customers of the first shop who made the trek to show support, more people in Jackson Township are discovering the new location, and he's hopeful there will be an audience there for high-quality coffee. However, he anticipates a different type of customer in the suburbs: He's considering adding a drive-thru window in the new space, though he opted not to include it in the initial build-out. "I'm not sure if that was a good decision or a bad decision," Haas says. I n many ways, growth at Muggswigz has been keyed by Haas' dedication, but he's quick to credit his baristas. Their service and skills have allowed the company to bring better brews to a blue-collar corner of the Midwest. And the company's reputation is starting to expand out of the region. In March, Muggswigz placed third in Coffee Fest's America's Best Coffeehouse competition in New York City. The event's structure allows three baristas to represent each shop in a simulated café scenario, and Haas jokes that he ended up being the weakest link: "I was the one who lost it for us—I was too slow." Still, the top-three finish shows how well his staff operates. "If you want a high-revenue store or more than one store, your team will make you or break you," Haas says. Muggswigz currently has about 20 full-time and part-time staff, and the owner is hoping the company will soon hit a point where he'll need to hire an assistant roastmaster. "I anticipate a nice, moderate organic growth, and I'll reinvest the company profits," he says, "whether that be in the wholesale side, the retail side, whatever. As long as it is something people want and we can enjoy giving it to them, then we can excel at it." Fresh Cup Magazine • freshcup.com 59