Star City Coffee blends well with downtown
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — The former home of Marston’s — known for years for their cards, books and gifts — is now home to the city’s newest business, Star City Coffee, located at 483 Main St.
STAR CITY COFFEE 
offers customers a wide selection of coffees, fresh baked goods, soups and sandwiches. Conveniently located at 483 Main St., the business provides yet another spot for folks to enjoy when visiting downtown. Pictured from left are employees Donna Keegan and Alex Johnson.
The building was purchased over a year ago by Edward Wright, his mother, Anita Wright, and friend Chris Keegan, with the intent to refurbish the building by creating quality apartments upstairs, while the first floor was designed for two of the community’s newest businesses.
“We bought the building with the idea the city needed a coffee shop/bakery/restaurant in front. We all loved good coffee and bakery items and thought others would as well,” said Edward Wright.
Wright said it was love at first sight, when the trio visited the former Hallmark store.
“When we walked in we loved it — the hardwood floors, tin ceilings. It called out to us,” said Wright, noting they saw at first glance the potential.
“We knew the history — wanted to do something for downtown and promote economic development. This allowed us to showcase our ability to restore historic buildings,” he said.
The group put the coffee house on hold to complete the renovation process.
“We renovated the first apartment, about 1,000 square feet upstairs, to create a high-end unit comparable to what you’d see in Boston. We built the second apartment upstairs, also about 1,000 square feet. We also had friends who wanted to open Bella Salon. It’s an incubation business that opened July 17. There’s an entrance through the cafe as well as one in back,” said Wright. “There’s a little hallway between the businesses, making a sort of a mini-mall feel to it.”
Wright said the tenants love the layout.
“They love being able to get their hair done and enjoying a pastry without having to go far. It’s like having a service center downtown,” he said.
He said once the salon was up and running, focus turned to the coffee shop.
“We opened Dec. 7 and have tentatively scheduled our grand opening for right after the first of the year. Watch our Facebook page for more details,” said Wright. “We have five employees.”
Customers will find a wide selection of beverages, pastries, soups and sandwiches made fresh on a daily basis.
“Basically we have fresh coffee, pastry items, fresh bread, soups, sandwiches and paninis — much of which is made fresh by our executive chef, Megan Thompson,” said Wright.
Thompson, originally from Fort Fairfield, is a recent graduate of Lincoln Culinary Institute in Connecticut.
“She’s a wonderful chef who comes up with some very unique creations,” said Wright.
The morning’s menu basically consists of coffee and pastries, while lunch features soups, sandwiches and paninis.
“For breakfast or anytime, you can have your choice of coffee; we have an espresso machine, make lattes. We have a large variety of Carabasset brewed coffees,” he said.
Since opening, Wright said response has been positive.
“The feedback’s been phenomenal. We’ve had a lot of comments about our fresh coffee. We really have the only espresso machine in The County operating the way we do it. All our food is handmade/homemade. We have fresh-made bread products,” said Wright.
“The craftsmanship going into everything is being appreciated,” continued Wright.
Helping to make its own special niche in the community is the business’s addition of live entertainment and special events.
“We’re planning on having Travis Cyr perform Friday nights during the month of January. We had Isaac Ashby in for test night and had about 100 people stop by throughout the night,” said Wright.
On Thursday nights, Wright said they’d like to establish a trivia league.
“We may have a 10-12 week tournament, with prizes for each night’s winner,” he said.
Wright said they’d also like to establish a special event on Saturdays.
“We’re looking at either an open mic night or comedy club once a month, likely on Saturdays,” he said.
“Friday will be for acoustic/live performances; Saturdays could include poetry — whatever the public demands,” said Wright.
Star City Coffee also has plans for a special event for January’s First Friday Art Walk.
“We want to host a design-a-cup contest as part of the First Friday Art Walk. We’re thinking about having the winner’s work turned into a coffee cup design for the business,” Wright said.
Wright said prior to opening the coffee shop, he’d gotten a lot of public input about what type of business was needed in town.
“Folks were looking for an alternative to bars — someplace family friendly, which is key element of a coffee house. When folks go out to a movie, we want to be that gathering place that’s suitable for everyone, of any age,” said Wright.
There’s plenty of parking space, according to Wright.
“We have public parking in back and street-side parking in front. The front spots don’t usually fill up until 9 a.m. during the week, giving patrons plenty of time before work to be able to park close and run in after coffee and breakfast,” said Wright.
Hours of operation are Monday-Saturday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with extended hours on Fridays for live musical performances. Gift certificates and coffee club cards are available. For more information, call 554-45222 or visit Facebook.
