Coffee shops have come and gone in downtown Williamsport, but Julie's Coffee has remained strong for 15 years, becoming an establishment for downtown business people who have since turned into loyal customers.
"This is the oldest specialty coffee cafe in Williamsport," said owner Jim Shillenn, who purchased the business eight years ago.
Julie's caters to the business sector in particular, and the coffee shop provides the perfect atmosphere for meeting with co-workers, catching up on work in a quiet environment or just taking a break from the hustle and bustle outside.
"A lot of people like to have business meetings here... It's a place they like to bring clients or colleagues," Shillenn said.
"It's a relaxing atmosphere," agreed Tonya Redman, the manager for the past two years.
While Julie's originally offered just coffee and pastries, it has since expanded its menu to include breakfast and lunch offerings.
"It has really now become a breakfast and lunch place which happens to sell specialty coffee," Shillenn said.
Breakfast favorites like scrambled eggs, breakfast sandwiches and omelets all can be found on the Julie's menu, and the shop also offers daily specials.
"We now offer a full breakfast and we are open seven days a week," said Redman.
"We get rave reviews on our omelets," Shillenn added.
Made-to-order omelets allow customers to pick their favorite toppings, while the daily specials give Shillenn a chance to experiment with different flavors. Past special omelets have included a chili omelet, a pizza omelet and a southwest fiesta omelet.
"We have some that are a little different... and we have some standard ones," Shillenn said.
Lunch offerings include salads, sandwiches and wraps, as well as creative daily specials such as a taco salad wrap and the grilled Rachel turkey sandwich.
Of course, Julie's Coffee is still a coffee shop. In addition to the house coffee and a daily flavored coffee, customers can choose from expresso, chai, cappucchino and several other hot drinks.
"We feature a different latte every week, but overall our main drink is a mocha... and we have the best whipped cream in town," Redman said.
The daily coffee special is "more robust," according to Shillenn, while the weekend specialty usually is a milder breakfast blend.
Redman said the coffee shop's offerings and location make it a daily stop for many downtown workers.
"There are a lot of regulars that come on a daily basis," she said. "We say it's like 'Cheers' - but we serve coffee."
Local artists have been showcasing their work at Julie's for the past three years and Shillenn said the displays often bring in new customers.
"We try to change the art and artist every month or two and with that we participate in First Fridays," he said.
Shillenn also recently made a change that is a big hit with customers: "We now accept credit cards," Redman announced.
Shillenn's latest venture is adding "fresh and local" offerings, such as yogurt from Toy Cow Creamery in Elimsport. Shillenn hopes to make more connections with local farms and producers in the future.
"We are always looking for more opportunities," he said of the fresh and local emphasis.
While Julie's closes at 3 p.m. on week days and 1 p.m. on weekends, Shillenn would like to see that change as the downtown business picks up.
"As the traffic downtown increases, we would like to expand our hours," he said.
More information is available at www.juliescoffee.com or by visiting "Julie's Coffee" on Facebook.
