Laura Fay, co-founder of Separatist Beer Project, announces the grand opening of a brand-new all-in-one coffee shop and e-bike store coming to the Main Line starting this weekend. Up to Eleven is a unique all-in-one hybrid that brings together the best of both worlds for coffee and cycling lovers. The new concept will showcase three big partners, including bagels from Kismet Bagels, coffee from Reanimator Coffee, and e-bikes by Specialized. Doors will open this Saturday, August 21st, from 7:00am to 3:00pm, at 65 Cricket Flats. The celebration is timed to coincide with Ardmore Rock N Ride, USA Cycling Race and Ardmore Music Hall Music Fest, and it will feature e-bike demos at both the shop and at a tent next to the race. Half off drip coffee will be offered to any customer who visits the shop and shows their bike helmet. There will also be drink specials and Specialized Turbo give-aways. A percentage of all e-bike sales during the opening week will be donated to Community Bike Works, a charity that teaches kids life lessons through bicycles. Coffee shop hours are 7:00am to 3:00pm daily, seven days a week. Hours for the e-bike shop are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, from 8:00am to 3:00pm. For more information, visit www.uptoelevenardmore.com, call 484-416-3086 and follow @uptoelevenardmore.

"Up to Eleven brings together my love for coffee, biking, and creating warm and welcoming spaces used in unique ways," said Fay. "After the success I had partnering on the opening of Separatist Beer Project, I wanted to create an all new concept that hasn't been done before in this area. Downtown Ardmore is red hot with so many amazing openings of both restaurants and retail spaces in the last three years. While there are amazing bakeries and restaurants serving breakfast, there isn't a true coffee shop in Downtown where you can get top-quality barista made coffee drinks, with great wi-fi, casual vibes and comfortable seating. I wanted to create a drop-in space that fits the active lifestyle and diverse population in Ardmore - appealing to everyone from students looking for a place to study, to friends looking to catch-up, to business people looking to grab a great cup of joe with their colleagues. For the bike shop, I wanted to create the kind of e-bike shop that I would feel welcome in, without the clutter, the judgement and the overwhelming options. My hope is that both worlds come together, and coffee shop goers develop an interest in our e-bike program, and our e-bike customers find a brand-new space to ride to for bagels, coffee and pastry."

Up to Eleven features 2,000 square feet of retail space in the brand-new Cricket Flats apartment building that just opened across from One Ardmore Place. This is the first major opening in that complex - with others to follow. The space features inside and outdoor seating for around 30 guests, at a mix of tables and lounge furniture. With the new coffee shop, Fay promises more than just a morning cup of coffee. For partners, Fay brought in big names in their industry for food, drink and e-bikes.

The new coffee shop brings retro vibes and a casually cool aesthetic that will inspire, relax, recharge and welcome all those who want to take their coffee experience up to 11. Based on the thriving Cricket Street in Ardmore, Up To Eleven brings Reanimator Coffee, which has origins in Ardmore, back to the area. The shop also features Kismet bagels with Schmears and two sandwich options, and locally sourced pastries. Up To Eleven also sells Specialized's complete line of Turbo electric bikes, which make electric-powered pedaling easy and fun for commuting around town, flying along the road, adventuring on gravel, or exploring trails, paths, and mountain-bike singletrack.

Fay is no stranger to the hospitality business. For five years she built and ran Separatist Beer Project, a brewery based out of Easton PA with tasting rooms in the Lehigh Valley as well as Philadelphia on East Passyunk Avenue. Separatist was one of many breweries that quickly grew and flourished during the latest craft beer boom. Fay co-founded the business with her ex-husband Joe Fay and oversaw the creative direction, branding and all things visual such as the labels, interior design and social media. Separatist also allowed Fay to indulge in her passion for creating spaces for the local community and passionate and creative types. About a year ago she parted from the business in order to better focus on hospitality projects of her own.

In pursuit of creating a community centered space that also incorporates a food concept (and sans beer) Fay decided her first project would be a lifestyle coffee shop. In her travels to places such as Hong Kong, Sweden, and Turkey she often found herself chilling in coffee shops that doubled as a sort of lifestyle store by offering a niche retail experience. Having been connected to a cycling community for a number of years and recently discovering the rising trend in electric bikes she decided a coffee/e-bike shop would be a great next project.

BIKE SHOP

As a casual cyclist, Fay at times has been slightly intimidated and overwhelmed when walking into the typical sprawling bike shop that has hundreds of items and occasional judgmental sales people. For Up To Eleven she dreamt up a bike shopping experience that appeals to the casual rider and includes a visually appealing showroom, fewer and curated bike displays and a friendly atmosphere. The coffee shop contributes to the unique shopping experience by introducing a whole new customer to bikes, possibly customers who may never wander into a typical bike shop. The electric bikes themselves also align with the concept because of their versatility and approachability.

Up To Eleven carries Specialized’s Turbo electric bike line because of the brand’s quality and reputation in the industry. The Turbo line has an impressive portfolio of electric bikes that cater to a wide range of riders, from the casual commuter to the serious road rider.

TAKING IT TO ELEVEN

Fay often draws inspiration from films for her branding ideas and this time around thought Spinal Tap was a cool fit for the coffee and e-bike combo, because of how both things “turn up” in everyday life. When explaining electric bikes to friends she often referenced the clip in Spinal Tap that showed amps that went to 11. Fay said, “I thought it was a good simile for electric bikes. All you have to do is replace the idea of the amps with bikes. Regular bikes go 1 - 10. Electric bikes go to 11.” Turning it up to 11 also jived well with the caffeine aspect of the shop and bringing the customer’s day to the next level with coffee drinks. The retro vibes from Spinal Tap plays into the decor and inspired a yellow and orange gradient mural wall as well as 70s wallpaper and furniture. One of Fay’s friends, a Brooklyn DJ, even scanned his collection of vintage rock albums so they could be used as decor on columns throughout the store. There are also plans to start a small curated record collection that will be available for purchase.

COFFEE

Up To Eleven strives to bring the serious city coffee shop experience to the burbs. The shop mainly focuses on traditional espresso drinks brewed with Reanimator coffee beans, and Fay takes care to hire baristas with a strong passion for beans and pouring (some of which have relocated to Philadelphia from major cities such as Los Angeles and New York because of the pandemic). The coffee menu also features hot teas, matcha and chai lattes and a few seasonal drinks that the baristas dream up.

FOOD

Wanting to work with like minded small business owners Fay reached out to Kismet Bagels, which is owned by a young couple in Philadelphia and started up in the last year. Up To Eleven carries all types of bagels that Kismet bakes up - Plain, Cinnamon, Sesame, Poppy and Everything - as well as Kismet’s selection of cream cheeses which they call Schmears. A small selection of pastries are delivered from nearby Au fourniel every day.

Fay wanted to bring a unique coffee shop experience that the Main Line seemed to be lacking. While other shops offer more of a food centered experience, such as Station cafe which has more of a breakfast spot feel and Delice which is an excellent spot for pastries, Up To Eleven revolves a lot around its coffee - the roaster (Reanimator Coffee Roaster), the drink ingredients and the way it is served. She looks to her passionate and experienced baristas for drink ideas that they dream up behind the counter and syrups that cook up use seasonal ingredients. Its high and low tables, window seats, wifi, scattered photography books and curated vinyl selection make it a perfect place to work or to hang for a while and sip a latte.

VIBES

Fay used plywood throughout the space and fun poppy paint colors on the walls giving it a raw, exposed, modern, hipster feel. The big open 2,000 square space and loungey, mid century furniture give it something of a lofty feel. Local woodworkers crafted some of the tables as well as the funky plywood shelving units and bike display stand. The floor was left as polished concrete to add to the exposed material feel.

GRAND OPENING WEEKEND

Up To Eleven’s Grand Opening will be held Saturday August 21st. It seemed fitting to align the opening with Ardmore’s Rock’n Ride event, which includes a USA Cycling race and a music fest put on by Ardmore Music Hall. The Grand Opening will feature e-bike demos at both the shop and at a tent next to the race and also include Specialized Turbo give-aways. Half off drip coffee will be offered to any customer who visits the shop and shows there helmet. There will of course be drink specials, such as espresso tonics and einspinners. A percentage of all e-bike sales during the opening week will be donated to Community Bike Works, a charity that teaches kids life lessons through bicycles. Their good work was recently featured in Bicycling Magazine. Grand opening hours for this date are 7:00am to 3:00pm for the coffee shop and for the E-bike shop.

WHY ARDMORE

Fay has always had a passion for growing and changing neighborhoods. As a kid she would tag along to building sites in Philadelphia with her architect father who often had jobs in developing neighborhoods. She learned at an early age how to identify neighborhoods that were in a growth phase and being revitalized. This came in handy when choosing Separatists’ locations. The first of which was opened in Easton, a small city in Northampton County on the border on PA, which has recently become attractive to New York City transplants. Separatist’s Philly location was strategically placed in South Philly, even though all the buzz at the time was about Fishtown. She picked South Philly because of its grass roots growth and tight knit community, which really became an important part of the business’ survival during the worst of the pandemic.

Though Ardmore is already well established, Fay sees a reinvention happening in the neighborhood with foodie and cultural businesses moving in, as well as new development.

Up To Eleven opened in a newly developed building called Cricket Flats and Fay hopes the opening of the shop will attract like minded small businesses to the Avenue. Nearby businesses such as Beyond/Hello, Tired Hands Brewing and newly relocated Rikumo have also signaled significant change is happening in the neighborhood.

HOURS AND CONNECT

Up to Eleven coffee shop hours are 7:00am to 3:00pm daily seven days a week, with the e-bike shop open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday, from 8:00am to 3:00pm. Both the coffee shop and e-bike shop will be open fully on grand opening day. For more information, visit www.uptoelevenardmore.com, call 484-416-3086 and follow @uptoelevenardmore.