The University of Idaho Argonaut

Dallas Rich, left, and Sarah Bader work the Sisters' Brew Coffee stand inside the University of Idaho Administration Building April 5. Steven Devine/Argonaut

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Fridays were Laura Erne’s coffee days. She hadn’t, however, gone to the coffee stand in the Administration Building in a while because she said she didn’t like their coffee. But last Friday, the director of prospect and research in the University of Idaho Office of Development and her friend were back at the stand to test out the newest change: the Sister’s Brew Coffee House.

Three weeks ago, Sister’s Brew expanded from its main location in downtown Moscow to the UI campus. The owners contacted Sodexo about a year ago and talked with them about the possibility of putting a Sister’s Brew coffee stand on campus. After being showed five different places around campus, Gina Rich, owner of Sister’s, said she decided on the Administration Building.

“Before it was very institutional,” Erne said. “I like the paint and the signature chair.”

Erne and her friend said the look was much improved — better lighting, less dingy and very clean.

Students who had never heard of Sister’s Brew were starting to come to the downtown location because of the new coffee stand and vice versa, Rich said. 
Kimberly Weatherill, a UI general studies major, never came to the Administration coffee stand until it became Sister’s.

“I love it because I go to Sister’s in town all the time,” Weatherill said.

For other students, like Caylee Ketchum, a UI dietetics major, this coffee spot had always been part of her routine because she spends most of her time in the Nicholls Building. But the change is fine with her, she said.

“I think it’s good,” Ketchum said. “I like their coffee, obviously.”

There was a lot of concern about the displacement of the employees of the previous stand, Rich said. The baristas there now are hired by Sister’s and not through campus dining, but the previous employees were placed in other jobs and not just thrown out, Rich said.

“We didn’t want people to lose their jobs because of us,” Rich said.

In fact, one girl who had worked at the stand before really wanted to stay, so Rich said they hired her even though Sister’s had employees who were looking for more hours.

The stand is open until 1:30 p.m. on weekdays, and Rich said she is looking to keep it open for the summer if she can break even with the cost of employees.
When Erne got her coffee, she took a sip and pronounced it “excellent.”