Feeling right at home
With a mug of coffee and surrounded by some of his favorite plants adorning Millie’s Coffee House, Riley Long spends his days gazing out on Main Street — when he’s not busy creating your new favorite latte. Photo by Marsha Chartrand
by Marsha Chartrand
It’s a wonderful life when you do what you love, and love what you do. Riley Long is one of those fortunate people. But he doesn’t take it for granted; he just enjoys it. …
As barista at Millie’s Coffee House, Riley calls the (espresso) shots with amazing accuracy. He has spent 12 years honing his skills, and coming to Manchester has brought him job satisfaction, joy, many new friendships, and an opportunity to reflect on how he arrived in this special place.
One reader wrote, “I love to support our local businesses and feel there’s a great story in Riley, one of the baristas at Millie’s Coffee House. I always enjoy Riley’s friendly exchanges and great coffee.
“But I’m in awe of all the different plants flourishing that he keeps looking so healthy. My friend has nicknamed Riley ‘the plant doctor’ after he rehabilitated (literally brought back to life) her dying orchid. The before and after picture is astonishing.”
Riley has been at Millie’s for a little over two years now. “I was first introduced to Anna and Millie’s Coffeehouse from a friend/former coworker when I briefly worked at Biggby in Chelsea right after moving to Michigan,” he recalled. “Having previously worked in local/independent cafes before, I felt completely at home once I found Millie’s. Soon after, I fell in love with the entire community of Manchester. So much so that my boyfriend and I actually moved to Manchester, from Jackson, last October.”
So there you have it: “Experienced barista discovers small-time Manchester.” Riley notes that in the not-so-distant future, Millie’s Coffeehouse is going to be expanding the seating area in the back where people can expect to find cozy seating, good conversations over great coffee, and lots of excellent treats! (Not to mention, plenty of plants.)
Asked about the plants, Riley goes back to humble mode and says, “I still have to give most of the credit to the big windows and fantastic lighting in the coffeehouse. I first remember my love of plants starting when I was a little kid back in Illinois. My dad was/is more into outdoor plants and landscaping. I remember him letting me go through the seed catalogs and circling with a big marker my favorite things and stuff that I wanted him to get for the springtime. I always looked forward to that!
“My love for indoor/house plants really started to flourish once I started to travel across the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. I completely fell in love with the nature and seeing all of the gorgeous, exotic plants everywhere I looked. I’m always looking to try and bring a little bit of the jungle back inside with me.”
Riley got his on-the-job training from his very first coffeeshop job that he had when he was just 18. Twelve years ago. “Since then I have only worked in the coffee industry. Before coming to Michigan, I had worked and managed a small coffeeshop for about eight years. I was able to roast all of our coffee as well. I definitely had to do some training to roast! As for baked goods, I bake all of the sourdough bread and sourdough cinnamon rolls.”
Anna Deevers, owner of Millie’s, says, “Riley is a gem in the community. He is such a tremendous individual and I value him as both a friend and employee.”
Obviously, Riley has become a friend to many of his customers in Manchester and we can’t wait to see what is in store for all of us next!
You must be logged in to post a comment Login