Just a 10-minute walk right off of campus is a quaint little building, home to The HUB on Market Street. The HUB houses EVO 206 Coffee Company, Whirligig Unique Boutiques and the HIVE. I met with building owner Stacey Derck to provide me with an insider tour of The HUB.
The building was constructed around 1890 and was originally home to Roth’s Furniture store. The HUB moved in two years ago and is still expanding today. After a rough year from the pandemic, Derck is ready to welcome the community to her industrialized yet barn-style modern building. Throughout the pandemic, the Elizabethtown community stepped up their support for The HUB and all the downtown businesses to keep them open. Derck said, “It was really about community over competition and I really want to continue that idea and welcome the community.”
The HIVE is a collective of offices and businesses that are free to use the space for anything they want. There’s a huge lounge room that can be rented out by the businesses or for events such as weddings or baby showers. The room is situated towards the back of the building so there’s a ton of privacy. Some of the resident businesses include the Citrus Med Spa and Acne Clinic and the Dragon’s Lair Hair Salon. The HIVE is still expanding its floor space and is hoping to welcome more clients and businesses to join the community. The HUB offers tours of the HIVE to ensure that their space is the right space for your office and business.
Whirligig Unique Boutiques is a cute little shop off to the side of EVO 206. The shop offers a variety of objects and homemade items that you’re sure to want to bring back to the dorm. Over 70 artists and vendors sell their works in the shop. The artists are mostly found around the Central Pennsylvania area, some straight out of Elizabethtown College. One artist has had her fashion designs featured in New York and Paris’ Fashion Week. There’s easily something to find within the store that would make a nice Christmas gift.
While you’re browsing in the shop, you can enjoy a nice cup of coffee from EVO 206 Coffee Company. Right now, they are updating their menu, but they are happy to let me know that their fall menu will be out on Oct. 20. Students receive a 15 percent discount on their order. They offer soups, salads, burrito bowls, breakfast and lunch sandwiches as well as baked goods, including a massive cinnamon roll. They offer coffee and teas and even offer their own Blue Jay Drink. Of course, this drink tastes exactly like the carrot cakes you can pick up from the Blue Bean. What sets EVO 206 from the rest of the coffee chains is that their beans are locally sourced and they want to know their regulars’ orders. “Again, it’s all about community. I want customers to feel appreciated as soon as they walk in the door,” Derck said. She also said that she would love for students to come in and study here. “Right now, we’re open until 2:00 every day. I would want to expand the hours to at least five, but we need the clients.”
Looking to the future, Derck wants to bring back community events such as open mic nights and trivia nights. On Halloween Night, EVO 206 is hosting a costume party and dishing out candy to trick-or-treaters. Also in December, 10 percent of profits are going towards Best Buddies. The money would go to bring awareness to the program.
Feel free to stop by the HUB to check out the HIVE, grab a cup of coffee and take a peek in the Whirligig Unique Boutiques next time you take a walk downtown!
