The Ugly Mug- it's a tricky little hole in the wall

Over Thanksgiving break, I was able to go on my second excursion on the hunt for the perfect writing spot. I chose The Ugly Mug located at 317 West Cross Avenue. It is open Monday-Friday 6am to 9pm and Saturday-Sunday 8am-8pm...hours I can live with, plus this shop is also within walking distance from my apartment.

Once again, I brought my best friend Carla along. Her line of work is in the theater, both acting and stage management, leaving most of her day-times free. She hangs out at the Ugly Mug on a weekly, if not daily, basis. I had been to the Ugly Mug with her about a year ago, but it didn't leave an impression in my mind and so Carla kept urging me to return and evaluate the place for my mission.

At first look, I have to say I was not very impressed by the atmosphere. It was not at all like the coffee shops or houses that I am used too...you might even say that the inside is actually kinda ugly. The walls are made from dark cinder blocks which match most of the dark decor.

The lighting inside is also very dark and I imagine if you were stuck at a table without a lamp, it would be very hard to see at night. I am actually very sensitive to lights and am not a fan of fluorescent or bright lights, but the dark lighting with the dark decor is not a mood lifter. I also was not feeling the vibe of the heavy metal rock music in the background.

I did enjoy the fact that the art displayed on the walls is created by local artists and is for sale. Next to each piece the artist and how much they are asking for it is listed. The Ugly Mug does not just hang conservative art pieces that are ignored daily at other businesses, instead somewhat shocking and provocative pieces are hung. It gives them an edge. I believe the piece to the left was painted by Mallory Evens and she is asking for $400 or a $300 gift card to IKEA in exchange for the painting.

By the time I left, despite the dark lighting and the "hole in the wall," atmosphere I was in love with this place...why? Mostly because of the way they make their drinks! They are possibly the prettiest and the tastiest coffee drinks I have ever experienced, not to mention the person serving them was incredibly friendly in helping make a decision about what to order, without having to fake or force customer service at all...that's when I knew the run down environment was all a trick! That when you taste what they put in your mug you are more impressed than you will ever be!

The Ugly Mug is an Artisan Roastery, where they make their coffee manually with the machine shown in the picture to the right. The drinks are not expensive and no matter what you order whether it is hot chocolate, Chai or just a plain cup of coffee you will not be let down.
They do show more pictures of their drinks on their website.

That was the moment, I began to see why many of the seats in The Ugly Mug were filled, though seating was not difficult to find. The people there were also within Carla and my demographic this time. We ran into someone that lived down the hall from us our freshman year of college. Before we knew it we had a nice little group sitting at and around the table with us, which made our day at The Ugly Mug most enjoyable.

I still have other coffee shops to explore and I don't know if this is the place where I would feel the most comfortable getting work done, but it would be a nice place to relax with friends on a rainy day or get the uniquely gourmet cup of coffee without having to dress up for it at a fancy restaurant.