It's always exciting when something new is happening in Germantown, New York. We're a small town, less than 2,000 people, with a tiny downtown and more buzz than feet on the ground.
We've gotten a lot of press as a small town tucked in the Hudson Valley in recent years, but building a business here is complex. You can't count on foot traffic, and building a community is a requirement. Starting from scratch is hard, so a lot of people simply don't try.
This is why we were so excited when something started going a mile south of us on 9G. We aren't in downtown Germantown, if you don't know. We are along the state highway that runs through Rhinebeck, past Germantown's downtown, and up to Hudson, NY. There isn't much commercial going on in that 45 minute stretch. It's a few gas stations, some shed salespeople, self-storage, auto shops, a restaurant or two, Dollar General, and us. I'm probably missing some things, but that's how it feels. Now, this new thing was happening. And it was going to be new, new — a new construction retail project with a café and store. Even better, the inspiration was Late-18th and Early-19th century architecture. It's more small-city Main Street than 9G, and that is awesome and necessary and inspiring. We need more reasons for cars to slow down, and Cups Coffee is the perfect antidote to the rush of life.
We were especially excited when Kristy from Cups reached out and asked us to make lights to go above the coffee bar. She wanted something classic, but with a hint of modern.
This is the original sketch we sent her:
