A new coffee shop (sort of ) in Ness City.

When I'm back home and shopping in the town's only grocery store, a family-owned operation, I'm always interested to see signs that local tastes are changing. The store has limited space and a fairly narrow inventory, so when I saw that they now stock Silk soy milk and almond milk, I know they must have some demand for it.

Another change -- Ness now has a coffee shop. A little place called "Cuppa Joe."  It is an incremental change, because this is a coffee shop in the old school vein, meaning, their coffee is in a pot, and there is one flavor: dark. No lattes or fancy roasts. But the coffee is set up on a friendly help-yourself counter and in the morning they also have baked goods to go with.

I went there on Friday around noon to check it out. First thing I noticed was the pair of wrought iron tables and chairs out front. I don't know if Ness will ever be ready for an espresso machine, but little outdoor tables are a start.  Inside they were doing a brisk lunch business. People were seated at small booths and tables eating the meal of the day --barbecue chicken with sides. Each day they serve a different homemade meal. As I poured myself a cup of coffee, I saw they also had pie!