March 29, 2024

Sip a Coffee & Connect: WiFi Technology Energizes Petoskey Coffeeshop

Oct. 27, 2004
From Philadelphia to Los Angeles, Detroit to Harbor Springs and throughout the world, Internet coffee cafés are the new “buzz.” In fact, Internet cafes.com shows a database of 4,260 Internet cafes in 140 countries. It’s definitely a growing trend worldwide as well as right here in Northern Michigan.
For Pete Lambeth of Petoskey, it’s been a dream of his to open his own coffee shop for a long time. “I have wanted to start up my own coffee shop for many years,” he explained. “It just seemed like the timing was never right. And now so many people use the Internet. Well, I just knew that not only local people but people who travel like to have access to the Internet to keep in touch with their business and families.”
The owner of Pete’s Pipe & Tobacco Shop in downtown Petoskey, his dream was finally realized with a bit of an added New Millennium twist. Set two doors down from his first store – which he had started in 1996 – Coffee & Connect opened this past July and is being very well received.
“It is really a neat thing,” Lambeth said of combining the coffee shop and Internet access idea. We get the locals, businessmen and even tourists come in. In fact, it seems people can’t do without being linked to the data highway when away from home.”
Their Internet service offers a WIFi hot spot to connect customers to the Internet. WiFi (Wi-Fi) stands for “Wireless Fidelity,” the most popular standardized wireless system for local area networks, or short WLAN.
“Anyone can pick up the signal on their laptop or other device, log onto their network and get to work, Lambeth explained. “We had one family come in who got to extend their vacation. They were able to get in touch with their work place via the broadband internet access and found out they could stay an extra few days.”
Most newer computers (those within the last two years or so), usually come a WiFi adaptor. But less expensive laptops probably will not have the device. “You can purchase a wireless pc card which slides into the PCMCIA slot on your lap top or into the USB port,” said Nick Carpenter, manager of the Radio Shack in Suttons Bay. “With the software that is included with the device, it will allow you to get on to the wireless network. It’s easy to configure. Costs are between $40-$60 and coming down.”
Coffee & Connect currently has five tables and a snack bar making up 22 seats where patrons can get on the Net. “Sometimes a couple will come in – both with lap tops – and go to work as they drink their coffee together,” said Lambeth. “It really seems popular especially with businessmen.”
So you don’t have your own laptop? Coffee & Connect has three public terminals. They rent $6 per hour for terminal use or $2 per hour for Wi-Fi. And it seems only half of Lambeth’s customers come in with their own laptops while the others rent his.
Now to the yummy part – Coffee & Connect offers a variety of coffees, lattes, cappuccino and mochas. They also offer a variety of teas for the non-coffee drinkers in the crowd. To make sure Internet users are well fed they offer a wide assortment of munchies. Choose from delectable pastries, croissants, muffins, cookies, biscotti, coffee cakes and donuts. Many of the items are organic and baked by Crooked Tree Breadworks of Petoskey. “Our most popular is the blueberry, cranberry and nut muffin,” Lambeth said.
Coffee & Connect is located at 301 E. Mitchell at the corner of Mitchell and Petoskey Streets in downtown Petoskey. Phone 231.347.4755. Hours are Monday through Wednesday 6:30 a.m. until 6 p.m.; Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, 6:30 am until 10 p.m.; and Sunday, 8 a.m. until 5 p.m.

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