The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

Brady brew house encourages study

With midterms just around the corner, studying will be running rampant on many students' minds.

One thing that students definitely shouldn't be stressed about, but often are, is where they are going to get their mountains of studying done. Well rest assured — a tiny coffee shop on Brady St. may be just what you need.

Anodyne Coffee Roasters, 1208 E. Brady St., may just seem like one of the many food places on this popular East Side street, but it's purple banner outside of the store is the first indication that it isn't typical.

In fact, Anodyne is more than just a neighborhood coffee shop, it's actually a restaurant and most importantly, a comfortable place to sit and get something accomplished.

Established in 1999, Anodyne Coffee Roasters offers a variety of coffees roasted on its very premises. According to Kim Kisiolek, a manager at the store, Anodyne's owner Matt McClutchy invested his love for coffee into a roasting business, which originally was separate from the coffee shop that exists today.

When McClutchy and his business partner, Marc Nikolic, purchased the store in 1998 the store was separated with the coffee shop and restaurant, "Brewed Awakenings" on one side and the roasting portion on the other. However, eventually the two were combined.

Kisiolek credits both the store's welcoming atmosphere and the coffee for the store's success with students.

"This is one place you can carry on a conversation with the person behind the counter and not get attitude," Kisiolek said. "Plus the coffee is really, really good."

Kisiolek said the coffee at Anodyne stands apart from other coffee shops because it's "not mass produced." McClutchy and Nikolic both roast the coffee themselves and they receive an array of beans from all over the world, including Central and South America, as well as Africa.

Word of Anodyne's coffee has spread as a few local businesses, such as Trocadero, sell Anodyne's coffee. Anodyne also grabbed the attention of Oprah Winfrey four years ago .

Winfrey chose the coffee shop as an experimentation site to see how customers would react to an obnoxious cell phone user. According to Kisiolek, the distracting man with a cell phone didn't faze the crowd too much, as it didn't make a big difference in business. Kisiolek said Anodyne has "very regular regulars" who are loyal to their favorite coffee place.

Though Kasia Drake, a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, doesn't visit Anodyne Coffee Roasters daily, she does go there when she's in need of getting some schoolwork done. She said the atmosphere is what attracted her.

"It's very relaxing and laid back," Drake said. "I could sit here the whole day and not feel pressured to order more or leave."

Perhaps the multicolored walls or abstract art lend to Anodyne's relaxing atmosphere. Though the store is tiny, it has two entrances, each leading to different seating areas with different colored walls, tables and ceilings.

Maybe the visual stimulation, along with the coffee, are to credit for students' ability to get some studying done there.

While Anodyne may be best known for its coffee, it also offers a variety of food options ranging from basic chips and salsa as appetizers, to waffles and pancakes for breakfast, to chili and traditional deli-style sandwiches for lunch and dinner.

Anodyne Coffee Roasters is open Monday-Friday from 6:45 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 7:45 a.m. to 11 p.m.

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