I just saw that The Owl, a coffee joint on Main Street in Milan, was listed as a “coming soon” trivia spot. The time/day listed was 7 pm Wednesdays.
Coffee shop/taphouse businesses are becoming a bit more popular. Why, oh why can you not find a laundromat/bar combo in Michigan (LOL)? What better way to pass time while your clothes are washing than by having a cold beer #youmsaysaythati’madreamerbuti’mnottheonlyone
It’s good to see some trivia “expansion” in this rather lonely area of the trivia “universe!” Years ago, the Milan Grill was a Sporcle trivia spot (a trivia “comrade” of mine tried to get me to bring a team out there, but it just wasn’t a good night for it). Fenders dished up MTL trivia for a few years, but that wound up folding in 2018. A bar owned by the same guy, Powell’s Pub in Ypsilanti, has had MTL trivia on Monday nights for quite some time. Applebee’s in nearby Dundee used to have a MTL show on Thursday, until folding in 2016.
Tecumseh and Saline seem to be the closest towns for trivia nights these days if you live in Milan (besides Milan, of course).
This “new” trivia spot is a coffee joint that, per their Web site, began serving craft beer and cider in 2017. There is a similar business in Ypsilanti called Cultivate (also a coffee/taphouse). It seems to be doing quite well. Though it’s not really “my” scene, I did stop in recently for hot chocolate after taking a winter walk with my husband. It always seems to be busy.
The beer garden in back of Cultivate Coffee and Tap House in Ypsilanti. In addition to being a beer garden, it also provides space for an actual garden – with space set set aside for growing various vegetables.
In March 2018, I tried out Cultivate’s Sporcle trivia night, which was behind the building in a heated tent. I am unsure if the trivia still occurs in the tent (the recent polar vortex would make that a challenge). When I played, one of the heaters malfunctioned, and the trivia host had some technical difficulties toward the end of the show.
I jokingly referred to this enclosed tent behind Cultivate as being akin to a “Christian Revival Trivia Night.” Strangely, this wasn’t the first time I’d played a trivia game in a tent! The first time I’d done so was in 2017, when Mike, Kim and I played in the beer tent at the Canton Liberty Fest (boy was THAT a windy day).
Will this coffee shop/taphouse business model do well in Milan? I have no idea. Milan is more of a “bedroom community” compared to Ypsilanti, which is a predominately blue-collar town with a bit of a “college” vibe from its proximity to Eastern Michigan University. The “hipster/millennial” contingent in Ypsilanti seems to love Cultivate. I think the outdoor beer garden at Cultivate is nice, even if I think the beers are too pricey!
My husband, Mike, playing a video game at Original Gravity Brewing Co. in Milan, MI which has trivia on Thursday nights. Our team began playing here when trivia started being offered in March, 2016, and we’ve been “semi regulars” ever since, qualifying for two regional tournaments by playing here.
I sincerely hope this new trivia spot in Milan does well, though I seriously doubt I’ll ever make it out to check one of them out (I kind of prefer “true” bars as opposed to hybrid coffee shop/bar combos). Curiosity might kill the cat, however! I might just stop in to check out the trivia here sometime, possibly when weather gets warmer.
The trivia nights at Original Gravity Brewing Co. a short distance away from The Owl have been thriving Thursdays since 2016. Only time will tell if the trivia nights will be a “hoot” at The Owl!