Local Coffee Shop Owner Uses Covid To His Advantage

Many coffee shop owners during Covid have been slowed down, closed their doors or are still questioning what their next actions will be. However, for some, it has been an opportunity to grow their businesses and explore. Stephan Witchell, 32, is a coffee entrepreneur in the Midwest and owner of Lawlss in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Since the pandemic, he has opened up a second location in Neenah, Wisconsin and has started roasting coffee as well.

Before Witchell opened up his second location he was very cautious; at this time he didn’t have any staff and did not serve food at his first location. “I didn’t panic, because panicking can lead to catastrophic moves that were unnecessary that would end up hurting me in the long run. People in the community were supportive, whether they could come in or not.”

On Sept. 8, he opened up his second location in Neenah, which was a former coffee shop. Witchell said that because it was an already established coffee shop it was a guarantee for success.

There were some difficulties during their first month with having two positive cases of Covid within their new staff and needing to pay rent, but with both businesses being steady it still worked in Witchell’s favor. 

The Beginnings Of Coffee Exploration

Witchell’s love for coffee began at a young age. He said, “My dad made pour-overs regularly for himself. That was kind of the first time I realized that you could make coffee individually.” 

His first job in the coffee industry was when he was 13-years-old. He worked at a little coffee shop named Pilgrims in Appleton for four years till it closed. Witchell then knew by the age of 16 that he wanted to have a coffee shop of his own.

In 2014, Witchell was living in Indianapolis and described that he was at a fork in the road with three different paths as to where his future could be. That was either roasting with a startup coffee roaster in Indianapolis called Brickhouse, working for Starbucks as a store manager or working for a software company. He chose to work with Starbucks, but after four months he realized it wasn’t for him. So he moved back to Appleton in 2015 to work at Tempest, another coffee shop, and within the next year, he began his journey in opening his own. 

“There is a desire for freedom to do what I would like with coffee, and what I think is both sustainable and profitable, but also satisfies that part of me that wants control,” said Witchell.

Starting Lawlss

When starting his coffee shop, Lawlss, he decided to put the location in Door County, specifically the city of Sturgeon Bay, as it was very focused in the summer and slow in the off-season so he could open up other opportunities to venture out.

“Sturgeon Bay is sustainable year-round compared to other areas of the county. It’s also more accessible to others in the state, like Green Bay or Fox Valley, because it’s a 45 minute to an hour drive,” said Witchell. “ This area is becoming more of a destination than a pass-through town which was also important in the decision because it’s easier to build yourself in a more consistent economy.”

He also wanted to present his drinks in a different way than other coffee shops that make money by selling their flavored drinks. Instead, Witchell wanted to present his creations in more interactive ways. They started out with themes based on mood, but they quickly moved to correlate their drinks to seasons. “We have seasons here in Wisconsin so we make themes around each season, but it’s fun to try and play with categories and the creativity of drinks.”

Impacts Made By Lawlss

Manager of Lawlss, Myles Parenteau, started working for Witchell because he wanted stability in the coffee industry. “I wanted to be in a space that really took time in the details and nuances of coffee. There was a never ending pursuit to perfection which was something that really interested me. That’s when Lawlss came into the picture.”

Before working at Lawlss, Parenteau was already close to Witchel. They first met in 2016 at a coffee shop called Tempest, then were reintroduced in 2018 and have been close friends ever since.

“I visited the shop almost everyday. He made the best cappuccino I have ever had, and still does,” said Parenteau. “When the pandemic hit, I ended up spending quite a lot of time with him trying new drinks or having latte art competitions. I look up to him, and respect him so much for everything he’s taught me.” 

The Future Of Lawlss

Witchell is currently working with a friend in Minneapolis to roast his own coffee. His plans for Lawlss is to start roasting himself in the future. 

“We work with him to source coffees, then profile them. We then roast the coffee in a bunch of different ways to get the best possible cup of coffee,” said Witchell. “We then wait for feedback, but it’s exciting. It’s a nice way to kind of ease into having our own coffee.”

They are currently in the testing phase of their coffee, but he plans on finalizing it before announcing in the future.