Ambridge Connection
  • Home
  • Local News
  • Social Media
  • Calendar
  • Eat Local
  • Contact Us
  • AbbyDuncan
  • Home
  • Local News
  • Social Media
  • Calendar
  • Eat Local
  • Contact Us
  • AbbyDuncan

Blue Canary Flying High in Harmony

12/6/2014

Comments

 
Picture
Steve and Rena Antosz, owners of the Blue Canary coffee shop in Harmony Township.
Picture
advertisement
Pictureadvertisement
By Larissa Dudkiewicz

What started as a long running joke between best friends led Rena Antosz to name her Harmony Township coffee shop the Blue Canary.

She and her college roommate would joke about the song “Birdhouse in Your Soul,” by the band They Might Be Giants.

“We used to laugh and laugh, and listen to it in college. It’s just very silly. It always made us laugh.”

About five years ago, Antosz bought the friend a blue canary nightlight. In return, Antosz’s friend suggested that if she ever owned a coffee shop, she call it Blue Canary.

“So that’s what I did,” said Antosz of Baden, who operates the shop with her husband, Steve.  

The Blue Canary recently marked one year of operations at 2751 Duss Avenue and held a celebration with customers on Black Friday, the official anniversary date of the coffee shop’s beginning.

“Everybody came out and supported us. It was cool,” Rena Antosz said.

She studied art in college, but fell into the coffee business by chance. She honed her skills as a “barista extraordinaire” when she worked for seven to eight years in a small coffee shop in Butler.

“I really loved it,” said Rena, who also calls herself a coffee ninja. “I have a lot of ideas.”

A Butler native, Rena, 32, and husband, Steve, 28, a South Park native, purchased a home in Baden to put equal distance between her job and his full-time job in Canonsburg.

The couple later opened Blue Canary, which is open daily and serves hot and cold beverages like smoothies, coffee and teas, including more than 30 loose leaf teas. Rena Antosz said their specialty is that they make all of their own flavors from scratch – chocolate, caramel, pumpkin, cinnamon made from sticks.

“Everything is real, all real sugar – no high fructose corn syrup. Even with some of the flavors like vanilla, orange and almond, I use extracts, but I won’t use imitation extracts because it freaks me out, so we use all pure extracts.”

In addition to drinks, the shop carries light eats like doughnuts, oatmeal and gluten-free snacks. And they carry hand-made gift items on consignment such as jewelry, books and art, that customers can peruse.

“When we opened we didn’t have anything on the walls or anything on the shelves. We just kept saying the artists will find us,” Rena Antosz.

“Yes, we didn’t need to approach anyone,” Steve Antosz added. “We just mentioned it to everybody that came through and then, in maybe two months, our shelves were full.”

Steve Antosz works behind the counter at times, but said he has turned into the maintenance person at the business. The duo has tried random event – karaoke, game nights, tried open mic nights and say they are always open to new ideas.

Picture
advertisement
Pictureadvertisement
After recently expanding to open a newly renovated back room, the Antosz’s said the Blue Canary will begin hosting more events over the next year. They are also booking the room, which is available for meetings and parties at a cost of $50. 

Rena Antosz said they hope to add more creative classes, such as knitting, sewing and an upcoming mosaic-making class on Dec. 17, and they want to have movie night.

She said they also want to be more involved in the community. A yoga instructor for about three years, Rena Antosz also teaches yoga at Yoga Edge in Ambridge. 

“We’re doing everything we can. We attended Community Day in Baden, Apple Fest, Fall Festival, and I’m helping with Christmas on Merchant.” 

With a growing number of regulars, Rena Antosz said the coffee shop has “definitely” become its own version of Cheers.

“We have our own little coffee community and I love being a part of that,” she said. 

Like Ambridge Connection on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Picture
Steve and Rena Antosz cut the ribbon to welcome their new back room on Oct. 10. Credit: Larissa Dudkiewicz
Picture
advertisement
Print Friendly and PDF
Comments
    Picture
    Picture

    AC TEAM

    Alan Freed
    Felicia Mycyk

     Joshua Vucetich
    Larissa Dudkiewicz
    Musinga Bayingana

    ​Ryan Donnelly 
    ​

    Picture

    Archives

    May 2024
    February 2024
    March 2023
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013

    RSS Feed

_Home I  Disclaimer  I  Privacy  I  Contact Us  l  Advertise  l Donations I Live events
Copyright © 2013- 2017  Ambridge Connection. All Rights Reserved
​Website: Business Liaison
Copyright @ 2020 Business Liaison
Photos from garryknight, Predi, erix!, klestaaaaaa, Ravi_Shah, Baugher Webmaster Services, angeloangelo, antonekom, www.tOrange.biz, Fort Meade, Ruben™, mosaic36, janetmck, Sister72, Beverly & Pack, JeepersMedia, torbakhopper, Purple Sherbet Photography, soaringbird, clevercupcakes, slgckgc, Visit St. Pete/Clearwater, stillriverside, JalilArfaoui, kennethkonica, Cláudia*~Assad, StockMonkeys.com, KathrynW1, slgckgc, amslerPIX, SonnyVisions Photography, Steven Vance, USDAgov, Accretion Disc, brizzle born and bred, ThoseGuys119, scoop1942, peasap, Vox Efx, blakespot, US Department of Education, StockMonkeys.com, SpecMode, steakpinball, menegue, One Way Stock