There’s been a lot of change happening at Stafford Coffee Company (SCC) over the past year. In February of 2023, Michael and Brad Daniels-Demers bought SCC during an especially hectic time in their lives. Just over a year into their adventure as cafe owners, they decided it was time to make this community staple their own.
After initially buying SCC, Michael says the plan was to keep things more or less the same for the first six months. Not only were Michael and Brad new business owners, but they were new parents with full-time jobs and still active members of the National Guard. Luckily, Michael says, the staff stayed on and were old pros at keeping the place running.
After a year of sticking to business as usual with just a few tweaks here and there, SCC closed its doors at the end of March to give the cafe a facelift. They reopened on April 2 to reveal a moodier space with a loungey feel. A green and gray color palette gives the place an earthier vibe with couches and comfy chairs on one side, and tables and bar seating on the other. They dreamed up the design on their own, pouring over paint colors until the week before construction began. With the help of an uncle who is a contractor, they transformed the once bright white space into a cozier spot to hang out – and added customer Wi-Fi.
All in all, Michael says they have added ten more seats, turning SCC into the specialty cafe they always had in mind. Their focus is on the coffee, “the food is just a perk,” says Michael. While coffee may be the star of the show, the guys have a soft spot for pastries as well. In addition to being a doctor, Brad studied baking at Le Cordon Bleu, and hopes to expand the offerings available in the pastry case.
Michael – who developed a passion for coffee while in the military and working on ranch, roasting coffee over campfires – says he hopes people will stay longer, and that college students from UCONN and other nearby campuses will feel free to come set up shop and study. He’s slowly filling up a bookshelf with editions about art and coffee, and there are a few more finishing touches to be put on the design, but so far he says customers have been mostly complimentary. After reopening on Tuesday, Michael said there were customers at every table, with several pairs in the shop as well as people who came in to work remotely.
So, if you’re looking for a place to cozy up with a coffee and a good book, consider heading over to Stafford Coffee Company to see the changes.
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