We're thrilled to welcome The Bear Coffeehouse & Wine Bar as our newest Change Test Pilot! Recently opened in Spencer, Iowa, The Bear is an eclectic community gathering place serving artisan beverages and food and hosting live music weekly.
Owners Elice Brunette and Leann Jacobsen designed The Bear to help support the burgeoning startup community in Spencer. The town of Spencer has long been a hub of manufacturing and agriculture, but it keeps losing its college grads to bigger, more "exciting" cities. Leann, who is also the president of the Technology Association of Iowa, hopes to change that. She wants to foster a support for college grads wanting to come back and live in Spencer.
Leann reached out to us at Change because her goal is to bring something different into the community - and she hopes over time people will begin seeing Spencer in a new light. So far, Leann says Change has been a success. The "Bearistas" using it behind the counter range in age from 20 to 68 and have quickly figured out how to use Change on their own.
You can see more photos of The Bear's grand opening on Facebook. Stay tuned for more updates!