Title: Young Entrepreneurs Serve Bloomington Author: Heidi Filbert Date: December 1, 2013

Laura Noell, a 2013 graduate of Geneva College and a member of the Bloomington, Ind., RPC, is in a unique position among people her age. Together with her brother-in-law Scott Reynolds, she owns a coffee shop and bakery—Crumble Coffee & Bakery in Bloomington, Ind. The bakery opened its doors in September, and Laura has been working 10-12 hours a day ever since.

“This was really Scott’s idea from the beginning,” Laura said. “He says he always wanted to open a coffee shop—a place in which he could drink tasty coffee and do some legal work for other small businesses at the same time.” Scott, who is married to Laura’s sister Evelyn, works full-time as a lawyer and is a course assistant at Indiana University. He takes care of all the business matters for the bakery, such as taxes and payroll. Scott also “enjoys working there some mornings meeting people, working the register, chatting with regulars. He’s the one most skilled in striking up conversation and making people feel at home.”

Laura is the baker and takes care of most of the day-to-day running of the shop. “I’ve had a ‘baking problem’ for…well, as long as I can remember, and since I have experience and training in baking…that’s another reason we wanted to open a shop like this.”

The shop uses coffee from Quarrymen Coffee Roasters, run by a couple from the Bloomington, Ind., RPC, Wes and Debi Burton. They are “fantastic at what they do,” Laura said.

While in the same town as Indiana University, the shop is located a few miles away; so instead of a college hangout it functions more as a neighborhood store. “It’s a bit tucked away, which we think makes it feel cozier,” Laura said. “Actually quite a few of our customers have commented on the nice, quiet atmosphere so different from Starbucks or a few of the other local coffee shops. Many of our customers are folks from the surrounding neighborhoods out on a walk, meeting up with friends, or just coming in for their morning coffee and breakfast.

“Our mission is to provide good quality coffee and drinks and tasty baked goods in a place where people can feel comfortable and welcomed—a place in which we can serve our customers and employees, and in so doing serve our Lord.” Laura said they aim to be a place where neighbors meet, kids enjoy an after-school treat, groups get together or students study. While at Geneva College, Laura was able to work with Bethany and Russ Warren, owners and operators of Beaver Falls Coffee and Tea Company. “Bethany’s training and advice really helped me personally understand more of the kind of unique opportunities that coffee shops have to serve in local communities. Besides the more practical side of running a coffee shop, she taught me about what it looks like to serve a small community. I think that by doing what we are doing and doing it well, we are ministering God’s love to the community.”

In addition to what they are currently doing, Laura said she hopes they might be able to do some outreach to international students who live in apartments nearby. She is thinking about offering cooking classes or Bible studies after hours.

“I’ve learned so much in the first two months,” Laura said, “Most of all, about God’s grace and the power of His spirit in my own life. I’m here most of the time, and during a rush of rude Saturday afternoon customers, after I’ve worked Monday-Friday for 12 hours a day, I’m constantly surprised that God supplies me with the patience and grace to just keep going. I think both of us [she and Scott] have grown up a lot in that way. There are so many things I’ve learned—what a difference great employees make, how to make a great latte or cappuccino, how Mickey likes her chai made, how to organize the logistics of doing all the baking every day, how to talk to important people on the phone.…We have been very blessed.”

Crumble Coffee & Bakery is located at 1509 S. Piazza Drive in Bloomington and is open Monday through Saturday.


—Heidi Filbert is a member at First RPC of Beaver Falls, Pa. She stays at home with her three children and enjoys writing the occasional article for the Witness.