Mon City shop gaining ground in trendy coffee house industry
Joanna Provan, owner of Little City Coffee in Monongahela, relaxes with freshly brewed coffee in her shop.
Exterior of Little City Coffee on Main Street in Monongahela, owned by Joanna Provan
Joanna Provan wasn’t sure what was brewing.
She used her bean and decided to launch a coffee shop in Monongahela in 2010, despite a distinct lack of experience at such an endeavor.
“I learned it all from scratch,” Provan said. “I’d go to shops and see how they were set up.”
Her early education in retail also included taking classes from T.J. Fairchild, who had built up Commonplace Coffee in the Pittsburgh region. It was a successful business model.
“Other than that,” Provan said, “I’ve relied on experience and listened to what customers want … and have tried to stay creative.”
The result is Little City Coffee, a little shop that can and does. Her business, at 418 W. Main St. (Route 88), has grown steadily over the past six years, attracting a local following in a niche enterprise that is gaining momentum in the region. Coffee houses are as hot as a freshly percolated pot, including Chicco Baccello in Washington, Claysville’s Main Street Cafe and Rising Creek Bakery and Cafe in Mount Morris.
“As far as independent coffee shops go, next to Seattle, Pittsburgh is one of the biggest (locations),” Provan said.
She wasn’t sure how her endeavor would do initially, when it was named My Coffee Shop. “People were looking for slot machines,” Provan said, smiling. “They would come in and ask, ‘Where are the machines?’ I’d say, ‘The espresso machine?'”
How is Little City Coffee doing today? “We pay the bills,” said the owner, who rents from her mother-in-law, Carol Provan. “We’ve built up a customer base and rely on word of mouth. People come in and seem to like what we offer.”
Though she is 28 and energetic, there are times that Provan probably could benefit from a jolt of java more than many of her customers. In addition to being sole proprietor of the shop, she cares for two young children – Benjamin, 2, and Oliver, 4 months – and gives violin lessons down the street at From the Top Music Shop, where she has about 15 active students. Provan sometimes watches the boys while tending to the store.
Her husband, Tobias, 30, manages Zimmer Printing, also in the 400 block of West Main. It is a family business that has been in operation for more than a century.
Joanna, who grew up in Eighty Four, and Tobias, a Mon City native, were each home schooled. They and the boys live in Monongahela.
The couple gets a heap of help from Angelica Brough of Eighty Four, Joanna’s sister. She assists with the shop and dealing with the little nephews. A couple of young men also work there part time.
“We keep going because of family and friends,” Joanna said. “My family is very dedicated to one another.”
The shop is not large, but it is fashionably appointed, with subdued lighting, plenty of comfortable seating and shelves brimming with books, table games and toys to occupy patrons of any age. Artsy photos and drawings adorn the walls. Walking sticks and mugs are available for purchase.
Smoothies and hot and cold drinks are available, along with bistro-style sandwiches and snacks. Little City Coffee roasts its primary product and sells it by the bagful. A selection of teas and honey from the Fine Family Apiary nearby also are on the shelves.
That is a lengthy list of attractions, but not a complete one.
“We’ve always been focused on events inside the shop,” said Provan, who hosted Lego Nite on Friday.
Nighttime activities are one reason Provan does not have definitive closing times. The shop opens at 8 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. Friday and Saturday. (It is closed Sunday and Monday.)
“(Closing is) usually around 10 (p.m.), but we don’t push people out,” she said. “We had a game night recently when we were open until 11:30.”
The name Little City Coffee, of course, is a testament to Monongahela being incorporated as a city. A small city. Two regulars, Tish Kardis and Terry Necciai, pushed for Little City Bookstore but lost out, Provan said.
She embraces the moniker, and just about everything else about her operation.
“We like to raise the ante, but we’re pretty comfortable with where we are.”
A coffee shop with a following.