WEST ALLIS, Wis. — A local entrepreneur shares how he started his coffee company in an ever-changing, growing city.
Collin Benz is the owner of Lake Effect Coffee Co., a West Allis shop that opened its doors in 2023.
“We were feeling really cooped up with the pandemic, and we thought this would be a really great way, because who doesn't love coffee? Who doesn't love chai?” said Benz.
RELATED: Let's Talk, West Allis! Your chance to tell TMJ4 what's going on in your community
Benz first started his coffee company in 2021 by riding his bike around to the West Allis Farmers Market and serving cups of joe to the community. From there, he connected with neighbors and decided to raise his family in the city.
Watch: Coffee owner shares what makes West Allis special ahead of 'Let’s Talk'
“It's been exciting just as a family moving to West Allis, and also as a small business, and I think it just shows so much the commitment that the city has to bringing in those businesses,” said Benz.
West Allis’ growth has been intentional for Cory Savage, the founder and CEO of Savage Creative — a company that helps rebrand and revitalize areas. They started a five-year-long campaign back in 2017 specifically for West Allis.
“We want to attract more small businesses, more residents, more apartments, more just about everything,” said Savage.
He says the campaign was funded by the Tourism Commission, meaning West Allis taxpayers aren’t the ones fronting the bill. Over the years, Savage says, he’s seen the city take on a life of its own.
“There's a lot of hidden gems. I think somebody on my team once said we should coin this the hidden gem capital of the world. There's not a lot of chain restaurants. There's a lot of entrepreneurial restaurants,” said Savage.
Savage Creative is starting a new campaign for West Allis to help push the city's growth forward.
For entrepreneurs like Benz, he’s found joy in this community for his business and beyond.
“We've definitely noticed kind of the shift. There's just more and more families and little kids in our area, and so it's really fun for our children as well, just to kind of grow up with other kids their age,” said Benz.
TMJ4’s Let’s Talk is at Pegasus Restaurant in West Allis from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on July 31. Tell us what’s going well, what’s not, and anything else we should know about living in the city.
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