A VISIT TO THE PRESS COFFEE CO.

I love this photo of Sandy Moore, my friend and mentor of 33 years! Here, she walks through the front door of what forever will be to me The Courier-Times building, but is now The Hub.

Last week my former newspaper colleague, coworker, and forever friend, Sandy Moore, and I visited The Hub in downtown New Castle. We decided to meet for coffee at The Press Coffee Co., which is one of the businesses inside the building. 

I couldn't quite grasp from friends' descriptions how everything fits together in the building, but now I get it! Essentially, The Courier-Times no longer needed such a large building. Through technology, changes in operations, and a centralized press at another location, the building was put up for sale and purchased.

The building site, once the "hub" of the city's interurban, was reimagined as a modern "hub" of activity in the form of an office building for an assortment of small businesses. 

The Courier-Times indeed still operates out of the building, along with other businesses. ​

I love the mug I purchased in the beautiful new coffee shop located inside the building formerly known as The Courier-Times. Sandy and I enjoyed iced tea together as we caught up on life and had a fresh look at our old surroundings! This space was formerly part of a newspaper layout room and circulation department. The walls have been reimagined and it's hard to envision it as it once was from this perspective. But it's beautiful and is the first thing you step into when entering the building.

The Press Coffee Co. is a nod to what was--the entire building being The Courier-Times newspaper, which has been in New Castle serving Henry County, Indiana for more than 180 years. But it's also a nod to what can be--something new!​

Sandy and I met in the middle of the afternoon. We noticed the delicious salads chilling in the cooler and noted that we should have made it a luncheon meeting. Next time!

We looked around the building a bit. New businesses are in old spaces. It's wonderful to see our home-away-from-home thriving. It also feels like one of those mixed-up dreams that seems so fictional it couldn't happen. As in: "You wouldn't believe what I dreamt! That the circulation department is now a coffee shop and Christy Ragle's PR business next to it!"

But dreams can become reality. We wish the businesses that now share space with our Courier friends every best wish for success. It's wonderful to see downtown New Castle being reimagined and thriving.

The front of The Hub, which includes, but is not limited to The Courier-Times. It's wonderful to see the exterior all spiffed up and the interior spaces home to new businesses, new services, and memories in the making.