LOYAL. LOCAL. COMPLETE.
Discover Downstate Illinois challenged Midwest natives to find the best locally-owned coffee shop. In a post on Sept. 21, the tourism bureau asked followers to share the names of their favorite small businesses for an online bracket competition.
Among the 2,800 comments were several hundred suggesting a mobile coffee shop in Paris, Stagecoach Coffee.
The coffee shop run out of a trailer, owned and operated by Corby Dayton, entered the online competition with 25 other coffee shops on Oct. 11.
“The support has been overwhelming,” said Dayton. “Being a part of the competition has been so much fun, and it has brought together so many different people over a shared interest."
Stagecoach Coffee won several rounds of competition beating out direct competitors Fairfield’s Fusion Coffee, Rail Coffee Room of Centralia and Carlyle’s Oh So Sweet Coffee during the first four rounds of the contest. On Oct. 24, Discover Downstate Illinois announced Stagecoach Coffee as a finalist in the online battle.
“Words really cannot express how excited I am, and how grateful I am for all of the support Stagecoach has received,” Dayton said. “If you have a Facebook, I really encourage you to like and share the post so that we can continue to show off what Paris has to offer.”
No purchase is necessary to contribute to the contest outcome. The winner of the annual coffee bracket challenge receives bragging rights and a professional commercial about their business made at the expense of Discover Downstate Illinois.
“Paris is really a wonderful community of amazing people,” said Dayton. “I really cannot express my gratitude enough, I am genuinely, so grateful.”
Online voting is open until 8 a.m. Oct. 31. To vote for Stagecoach Coffee visit the Discover Downstate Illinois Facebook page and follow the instructions to react to, or like, an image featuring a drink from Stagecoach Coffee.