Planetary Coffee: Short Days, New Ventures

Anticipating the coming new year always feels both exciting and a bit daunting to me. The changing over of the calendar year is often a transitional time. It is a time for slowing down our hectic pace, and reflecting on the year previous, but it also induces a feeling of excitement and curiosity about what the future will bring. Though change is the only constant in our universe, this fact doesn’t necessarily make it easier for us humans to endure. It is often the difficult transitions in our lives, those which present us with the most obstacles, that ends up shaping our character in meaningful ways. Life transitions can act as markers, which serve to help us differentiate the different phases of our life, and provide opportunities towards personal growth.

IMG_5947Operating a specialty coffee shop on wheels has really put us in touch with the shift of the seasons and the day-to-day subtle changes in weather and temperature. Anticipating rain, staying warm when it’s cold, being mindful of all these different elements has made us incredibly humbled by the amount of work involved in a mobile operation, and thusly incredibly  appreciative of our transition into a new brick and mortar shop to call home for Planetary Coffee. Having a physical location for people to gather, a third space, or as we have been referring to it, a coffee lounge, has been unbelievably rewarding, and feels like something I have been steadily building toward my whole life.

I have always adored the way that people come together around coffee. At times, this feeling of connection to individuals and our community overwhelms me with joy and awe. Being able to extend hospitality totally deepens and enriches our experience and provides us with the incredible opportunity to forge meaningful connections and  interactions with individuals of all ages, from all walks of life. We wanted to create a space where people can truly unwind, shake off the tensions of the world, and rejuvenate in the company of others. To me itIMG_5924 feels like an opportunity to take care of those around me; to anticipate their needs, and help support them through the good and the bad times they experience.

The past few months of transition from operating the truck to getting the coffee lounge up and running, has definitely been a whirlwind, but as the dust begins to settle, what really comes into focus is our enhanced ability to interact more directly with the community we are a part of. Even though over the course of the two seasons operating the coffee truck we had so many great opportunities to work with other local businesses and non-profit organizations who are doing really great things in the community, we still felt like we were not completely rooted. Now that we have moved inside of the State Street Marketplace, we feel at home and can direct our focus, be more fully present, and begin to let our roots fully settle in.

We couldn’t be more grateful to everyone who has supported us on our journey and helped to fuel our mission to share space and revel in good drink and pay respect to the farmers, artisans and workers who make it all possible. In the months ahead, we will again begin to yearn for the coming of spring and summer on the horizon, but for now it feels rewarding to revel in the reflective nature of the winter season, and to focus on being present in the days ahead as they gain slowly, but steadily in light each day.

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Planetary Coffee is located within the State Street Marketplace, at 329 E. State Street, Traverse City, MI 49684.

Emily Wilensky is a co-owner of Planetary Coffee with her partner, Eric Harms. Find more information at www.planetarycoffee.com. Contact her at [email protected]