Post Card Project

 Winter Haven Coffee

    The theme I chose for my post cards are displaying the local coffee shops in my area, avoiding the very commercial cafe's we are all familiar with. This project really made me go out and try out some new places that I have been wanting to try as well as places I have never heard of before. My audience would definitely those who enjoy a great coffee or tea, with a great place to unwind or even get some work done, while supporting local businesses. These cafe's have their own personality and community, which is so much more diverse that I expected. So lets take a ride through Winter Haven's Cafe scene. 

Camera Coffee Shop

Located in Tu Plaza Market, sits a quaint family business in a busy market. This coffee spot has a beautiful story of a mothers two passions blending into one place. Being a photographer and a coffee lover this story really touched my heart. The owner's son was manning the coffee bar and told me all about how him and his father literally built this coffee stand for his mother. They had great presentation, the word play on the menu, and even the logo really drew me in. It maybe small, tucked away in this market but hopefully one day we see more popping up!

Echo Coffee

This is place to find community, and creating one as well. They have a beautiful mission, dedicating their work to helping foster kids. They offer different ways to get involved through volunteer work or through the church. It even offers a quiet cafe to get some work done while supporting a great cause!

Haven Coffee Roasters

This is a trendy little spot in downtown Winter Haven, really taking thing to the next level with different signature drinks every month along with a some kind of theme that call for great photo ops! They offer live music some days, and they have an everchanging bulletin board where locals can promote their business and events as well. You can even sit and watch them roast their coffee beans while reading a book or getting some work done. 

Honeycomb

This is a beautiful spot that smells so delicious, with their fresh baked pastries and bread. They have a beautiful patio where you can enjoy a coffee and the company of your friends. Its also a place you could just hang out and people watch. With days dedicated to live music as well and a record player inside. Very lovely spot.  

Stone Cabin 

This is a great place to indulge is some delicious desserts. A constantly changing menu and fresh cheesecakes daily, this is your place to be! They are a great family friendly location with a very cozy atmosphere. 

Moon Mountain 

I feel that this location has to be the most unique of the bunch. Not only do they have a great variety of coffee and tea, they are very popular for their kava and kratom extracts. As well as their vape bar on the other side of the store. You can sit at the bar and puff on your vape and sip your coffee in the morning, and swing by later in the evening for a beer or glass of wine to end the night. Board games are kept on hand as well as a Nintendo Switch so you can even come just to hang out. They offer trivia nights, karaoke nights, and a few other events through out the month. This is a growing spot, that will soon be offering acai bowls and smoothies in the near future. 

This project was a lot of fun, it made me explore my area and venture out past Starbucks or Dunkin. Finding cool new spots I will be able to visit when I'm looking for a specific atmosphere. I wanted my postcards to feel like they came from a film camera, or just had an organic feel to them. Wanting to stay true to each logo using the selection tool, creating brushes of the logo's or creating a sticker type of look. I learned that taking photos in public spaces is something that makes me nervous and is a fear I need to over come. Wishing I would have taken more photos so I had something better to work with. Really trying my best to work with what I had was difficult. There is a lot more practice for me and  blending layers and selections so things are not so harsh. At the end of it all I really did enjoy this project and I cant wait to get more practice and really fine tune my skills. Also,  I hope to inspire another Winter Haven local to venture out to one of these spots, and maybe even find your new coffee shop or community.