By Vanessa Selle
Red Eye Coffee and Tea is integral to the Old Town Saginaw community. This little coffee shop has been around for almost 30 years. The coffee shop has recently changed locations, two doors down from its original location on Hamilton Street.
community. 10/31/2022; Photo credit Vanessa Selle.
Though the location has changed, the family atmosphere and quality coffee and tea have not. Long-time employee Lindsay says there is a tight-knit community in and around Red Eye. Some regular customers have been going to Red Eye for 15 years or more, and the coffee shop takes pride in being community-based.
“There’s always been a very strong community connection,” says Lindsay. Pre-covid, someone would always throw a big Halloween party at their house that the Hamilton Street community would attend. During covid, the community and coworkers would still gather in small groups to have coffee and maintain their bond.
The coffee shop plans to add some new items to the menu, including boba and bubble tea. The shop has a bright, friendly atmosphere, unique tables and chairs, and a botanical vibe. Take-home coffee and tea are available for purchase.
Arlene Maul, the owner of Red Eye Coffee and Tea, says a huge thank you to the community for their support and patience.
The coffee shop was supposed to reopen last November, but due to delays in construction and new supplies. “It took us a year and a half to get two chairs,” Maul said. Though they moved locations in 2020, it took two years for construction to be completed. Now that the building is up and running, the focus has turned back to training and “teaching people to make really good coffee.”
beautiful wooden tables, and retro brick walls decorated
with potted plants. 10/31/2022; Photo credit Vanessa Selle
The training process takes about a month and is slow because of the focus on quality products. Maul is also still hiring and is looking for friendly people who love coffee and community. If you are interested in applying, send an email to redeyecoffeetea@yahoo.com.
Maul says that once they have enough trained employees, they hope to be open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and eventually work from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. “It’s a fun place to work,” according to Lindsay and Maul. “We’ve gone through generations.”
As of right now, they are not open to the full extent of their planned hours. To see current full-time hours as the business begins opening, visit their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/RedEyeCoffeeTea/.
