The rumors are true…
Published 11:40 pm Friday, January 14, 2011
Matt Shaver's new coffee shop, Rumor Has It, hopes to draw a younger crowd to downtown Niles. The shop will be open until midnight on weekends and will buy, sell and trade vinyl records and other vintage items. (Daily Star photo/AARON MUELLER)
You won’t find the word “hip” and the word “Niles” in the same sentence too often.
But Matt Shaver and Dawn Bockhorst might just change that.
The Niles couple’s new eclectic downtown coffee joint, Rumor Has It, definitely has the “hip” vibe going for it.
“Chill” or “cool,” both words that Shaver used to describe the place, may also be accurate.
Featuring thousands of old vinyl records, several turntables and vintage furniture and decor, Shaver and Bockhorst are hoping Rumor Has It has the potential to reach both the older and younger generations.
“There’s a huge resurgence of vinyl,” Shaver said, adding the store will eventually include new vinyl records in its large collection of old ones.
The store will buy, sell and trade not only vinyls but also books, vintage clothing, games and electronics.
Rumor Has It will be open during the Hunter Ice Festival today at 10 a.m. with the grand opening scheduled for Feb. 12.
But possibly the biggest draw and reason for the shop’s “hipness?”
It’s a downtown business actually open past dinner time. On Fridays and Saturdays, it is open until midnight, in fact.
“When I get together with my friends, it’s in the evening,” Bockhorst said. “By the time we get together, everything downtown is closing.”
Shaver and Bockhorst are hoping the shop’s uniqueness attracts younger clientele to Niles’ downtown.
“There are so many colleges and community colleges in our area to draw in the younger crowd,” Bockhorst said. “We have free wi-fi, so they can sit and have a coffee and study.”
They are also hoping to book local musicians to perform a few times a month and hang work by local artists.
In an effort to promote other local businesses, Rumor Has It will feature the Schuil Coffee that is sold in the Kitchen Connection, books from A. Casperson Books and vintage clothes from Niles Styles.
In addition to coffee, the shop will sell espresso drinks, chai lattes, hot chocolate and an assortment of teas.
Shaver is hoping his business can show the younger crowd the hipness of the entire downtown.
“I came here in 2007 and friggin’ loved it,” he said. “I love this downtown. The potential is absolutely huge.”
The rumors are true, college hipsters. Niles has a new hangout.
