I am what one might call a “regular” at Gambier’s one and only coffee shop, Wiggin Street Coffee (affectionately known as “Wiggins” by many students, faculty, and community members). As a senior experiencing her final Kenyon fall this year, I am reminded of the many ways Wiggins fosters community on campus and how much its existence has meant to me over the past four years.
I walk through the doors of Wiggins at least four times per week to order an iced Wiggin Street Mocha and sit and study with friends. I often camp in the dining room for hours, enjoying the comforts of my drink and a sausage breakfast burrito and chatting with people coming in and out on their way to class. Wiggins makes some of the most delicious specialty drinks I’ve ever had (and I drink a lot of coffee), but it’s much more than a caffeine stop: it’s a place that builds connections.
I’ll never forget one fateful day during my junior fall when I walked up to the counter to place my order and had barely opened my mouth before the friendly barista stopped me and said, “Small iced Wiggin Street Mocha, yep!” A barista knowing my usual order unprompted was a sign of my Wiggins Platinum status, and I remember feeling both touched and concerned about my coffee consumption up to that point. This same barista had also spent all of the semester complimenting me on the various concert shirts that are in my weekly outfit rotation. The Wiggins staff is always incredibly friendly, patient, and kind towards every patron who comes to the counter, and many have built strong connections with Wiggins frequenters.
Gambier’s rural nature automatically makes Wiggins a hot commodity, because, to put it bluntly, there isn’t much else around. For me, Wiggins is a critical part of Kenyon’s lifeblood and campus culture, and I take comfort in knowing that many other students feel the same way about it that I do. Wiggins is the perfect place to take campus visitors looking to experience a taste of our little corner of the world, to catch up with a friend in a cozy setting, to meet someone new, to lock in on assignments, and even to people watch. I love seeing the same group of older Gambier residents chatting and reading the newspaper in the chairs by the front windows most mornings. I love seeing faculty chatting while waiting for their drinks to be prepared. I love meeting my best friend there every Saturday and Sunday morning to lock in on work together. I love bringing my parents there during Family Weekend to meet my friends and their families.
It’s safe to say that I genuinely look forward to my Wiggins trips each week, and am endlessly thankful for the ways it has shaped a lot of the community I’ve found at Kenyon. As I prepare to graduate in May, I know I will deeply miss the comforts of Wiggins for many years to come, and that my iced Wiggin Street Mocha will always be at the top of my list whenever I visit campus as an alum in the future.