The best things are always worth waiting for. The circumstances that led us to our newest shop in Metamora have been over a year in the making. It feels much longer ago even than that! We first looked at the property back in March of 2016, and from the very beginning, we could see Eli’s in this building and community. The historic building had such a wonderfully inviting atmosphere to it. With tall ceilings, floor-to-ceiling glass windows, gorgeous exposed brick, and magnificent hardwood floors, the property was irresistible. The setting on the square in such a community-focused town was a major draw to us as well.
The building was in great shape but the interior needed some restoration and reconfiguration to suit our needs. With the help of the wonderful people we surround ourselves with, we laid out a plan and set to work on the remodel. The construction began in early 2017 and finished up in April. After that, we installed our equipment, stocked the shelves, hired and trained our new baristas, and finished up our decorations. We are now ready to welcome you into our year long project and labor of love. Our third shop is about to officially open! Beginning on Thursday, May 18th, our shop at 101 W Partridge St. in Metamora will be open to the public! We will be open from 7am-7pm starting on Thursday through Saturday. 7am-5pm on Sunday and as long as things are going smoothly, regular hours will pick up the following week. Our grand opening will be held once our signage is finished and we have all the bugs of a new shop have been worked out.
We ask that as we open up, you extend us plenty of patience and grace. Though our baristas will be working alongside experienced Eli’s Family Members, everything is still very new for them and we’ll have plenty of issues to work out of the new shop. You can expect our same menu and hours with expertly crafted drinks, from-scratch bakery items, and fresh deli selection but we’re going to be a little slower than normal and we may run out of certain products depending on demand. We have heard from so many excited people and we absolutely cannot wait to meet everyone!
It Takes a Village
We’ve always heard this phrase applied to raising children, but we can vouch, it applies to business as well. The Metamora shop would not exist without the hard work and support from so many amazing people and businesses we work with day in and day out. We’d like to recognize several of them below:
Justin Ferrill: Justin introduced us to this building and has been integral to Eli’s growth over the past few years. He is always looking for new opportunities, understanding the history and community spirit we look for in our shops. We’ve come to rely on his experience and knowledge in commercial real estate.
Dilan Berchtold: Dilan assisted us with the design of our remodel. Without his measurements and renderings, our vision for the space couldn’t have been achieved. His skill in mapping out the remodel and giving us a glimpse into the future design made the shop possible. Beyond his technical skill, he offered creative solutions to every issue we could imagine in the design of our kitchen and bar spaces.
Roger Stuber, Chuck Mathes, and all of Roger Stuber Builder Inc: Roger, Chuck, and their team are the contractors responsible for our beautiful remodel. The quality of their work shines through every part of the shop. Their professionalism and attention to detail freed up our time to create the aesthetics of the space that we hope you’ll find inviting!
Ben Camacho: Ben is the man behind our signage in each of our shops. His ability to take our rough vision and mold it into something unique is a rare gift. His focus on the small details and ability to think outside the box is the reason the Metamora shop represents the Eli’s brand so well.
Our Co-Owners: Katie and Ryan have been incredibly generous with their investment, allowing us to dream up the idea of opening yet another location in a small town. Their belief in us as managing owners has inspired us to lean in to these incredible opportunities.
We want to extend a huge THANK YOU to all of our friends and family who helped us paint, fix equipment, clean, and decorate the shop. Your selfless sacrifice and hard work made our lives so much easier and we couldn’t have done it without you.
We also want to extend our deepest gratitude to our Eli’s Family Members. Our baristas, bakers, and managers, especially McKenzie, Lori, and Gayle, have endured lots of changes over the past year as we prepared for Metamora and leaned into them with grace and skill. You are working daily to ensure that Eli’s continues to be a meaningful fixture in our communities and for that, we are immensely grateful.
And finally, we want to thank you, our customers. You have believed in what Eli’s stands for from the very beginning. You’ve been with us through good times and bad, through thick and thin. You have seen us grow from one location to now three, and have supported us all along the way. You’re the reason we want to bring Eli’s to more communities, the purpose for our existence. Thank you for being a huge part of our lives, for sharing in our belief that every community deserves a meeting place. A place where great coffee, homemade treats, and fresh deli selections brings out the best in people. Your love for Eli’s is our daily motivation to make this business even better for you. We want you to feel differently when you leave our shops. We want you to feel closer to your town, and to your friends and family. We want you to leave a better, happier person. Ready to take on whatever comes next in your life.
We hope that we can bring that feeling now to Metamora and invite you to come in and experience it for yourself.
Thank you,
Rachel & Weston Berchtold