How one local coffee shop is evolving to serve multiple generations 


    Gabby Loubiere, owner of Brew Ha-Ha, is rebranding her coffee shop.

    The 20-year-old cake ball and coffee shop on Jefferson Highway is getting new signage and expanding the menu to attract a younger and more health-conscious audience. 

    New shop signs will be installed over the next couple weeks ―including an entrance sign without Loubiere’s face and updated menus. 

    “I was ready for my face to be off everything,” Loubiere says about her previous shop branding. “It was just time to freshen up. I want things to be brighter and eye-catching. We get a ton of students ​from St. Joseph’s Academy and Catholic High School. We coach a lot of them at our gym. I’m trying to bring some youth and fun into the space.”

    After a year of planning, Loubiere is expanding her menu to include protein-packed smoothies. She says clients from The Block Fit, located a few doors down from Brew Ha-Ha and operated by her and Walker Higgins, have been asking for healthy food options before and after workouts. Soon, customers can choose from six protein-based smoothies or create their own custom flavors. 

    In addition to new signage and smoothies, Loubiere is adding a larger display case that doubles the space for cake balls. She is also adding a larger cooler for grab-and-go cake balls and baked goods, including gluten-free and keto options. Customers will still be able to satisfy their sweet tooth, Loubiere says, but now there will also be more health-conscious options.

    Loubiere is handing over the art gallery side of her coffee shop to art collective Ellemnop.Art. Later this month, the collective’s curator, Keidrick Alford will begin featuring local art exhibitions in Brew Ha-Ha. Customers will be able to purchase art on-site using QR codes. Loubiere says the coffee shop will also double as an art gallery space for local art exhibitions after business hours.