“We kind of changed the town a little bit. I think we were the first place to do craft cocktails, especially the original Milwalky Trace. Which is just a normal cocktail nowadays but at the time we were doing stuff that nobody was doing. All our cocktails have way more booze than most places. We go hard with our drinks. We’re known for that. . . We’re known for our service and our food and all those things we concentrate on. Those are the things we care about and it shows and pays off.”

In honor of the upcoming year and rounding up the last few moments of 2022, we have asked Tala team to take a moment and share their new year’s resolutions or past year’s fondest memories. Since so many of us get to see so many of you everyday- you all can join us and check in on our progress as we chat across the bar! With that, here are the Tala team’s reflections and hopes as we end yet another wonderful year!

Running a small business is always a wild ride, but running a small business through a pandemic has been a new kind of wild. What’s more: our cafe has officially been open longer during the pandemic than not. What felt like an emergency interruption has become our new reality. But that’s not unique to us, that’s everyone’s story as of late.

Today is National Read Across America day, a perfect day to celebrate our friends over at Freadom, a new non-profit launched just a few months ago, whose aim is to support literacy across America. Any product purchased from Freadom right now also comes with a sample bag of our coffee, and 100% of profits goes toward literacy initiatives across the country.

In typical 2020 fashion, this Small Business Saturday hits differently than most. The strangely somber undertone of this year is how many small businesses across the country—and world, for that matter—are closed for this special day, some temporarily and others permanently. With that as the backdrop of today, it is with even deeper gratitude that we extend our sincerest thank you to all of you.

“Good Morning! How are you?” are my first words to the customers that consistently get the worm. I usually work in the AM (6:30-12:00 with the adjusted COVID schedule), and let me tell you, getting out of bed at 5:30 to beat Marcus to the cafe is not the most enjoyable thing to do, especially when you’re not a morning person.

We heard so many amazing stories from people's experiences at Tala this week. In fact, we had way more submissions than we were prepared for, so it has taken several extra days to sort through it all. Thank you to everyone who shared their memories and thoughts about our cafe. We are so honored by the community and stories you’ve provided! We’ve chosen the top five memories, and randomly picked the winner of the $200 giveaway. Read all five stories below and see who is the lucky grand prize winner.

We’ve made it to the end, folks. End of the week, last look back on year two before we shove all nostalgia down and stuff it into the vault until next August. I won’t have as colorful storytelling as Matt, as eloquent language as Conner, or as sentimental, tear-jerking material as Marcus, but what I can do is ramble on aimlessly for awhile like I normally do. You should all be used to that by now.

I started at Tala in the midst of the pandemic, where many of us have been able to pursue new hobbies, interests, and curiosities. My goal throughout the more at-home time during quarantine was to spend more time with my family. I haven’t lived at home for many years, and this was a perfect opportunity to spend time with my loved ones.