CAMBRIDGE MARKET CAFE Pretty Darn Local

BY KYLE JACOBSON

How do you determine whether you dig a cafe or not? Is it the food? The coffee? Surely these things are factors, but I’ve always gone off the vibe. How does the café put itself out there? Some like having that hole-in-the-wall feel; others focus on their open mic sessions. But there’s just something really special about those cafés that feel like the cornerstone of their communities, and Cambridge has that in Cambridge Market Cafe.

Owner Cathy Yerges spent a lot of time working with small businesses even before she created Cambridge Market Cafe four years ago. Holding banking and cash management positions allowed her to work with and support local business owners while gaining an appreciation for what goes into running something on that scale. It also gave her an up-close view of just how downtowns were suffering all over as consumers moved towards larger enterprises, and Cathy wanted to be part of the solution.

The chance came when what’s probably best known as the old Rowe Pottery building had been vacant for almost a year. Cathy met a construction company that was planning to buy the space, and she committed to going in as a tenant, which made it easier for the construction company to commit to buying the building. Right on Highway 12, she couldn’t ask for more than its convenient downtown location. Even better, the space would provide the means to do everything she’d want.

“My goal is just to provide a spot for the community to come together and to highlight other small businesses,” says Cathy. “I’ve been in Cambridge for 22 years. I raised my two boys here. It’s a really great community to give back to and invest and provide a gathering space.”

It didn’t take long before Cambridge Market Cafe was hosting regular meetings with business owners to coordinate and revitalize the downtown. “We don’t have a lot of industry in Cambridge to support a chamber, so when I started this, I began a biweekly meetup of business owners where we just get together for coffee and mainly give updates as to what everyone’s doing and what’s going on to find ways to collaborate. We’ve taken on some of the annual events that the chamber used to do: the chocolate walk and the Christmas events.”

There’s no doubt that, for Cathy, success is measured by achievements through collaboration. In the market half of the space, she represents “over 100 Wisconsin food makers, artists, brewers, crafters, and my focus is on food and beverage and consumable items.” There always has to be a connection or relationship to what’s being sold, and if she knows the story behind it, she shares it with customers.

One line of health products she sells come from a local CBD producer. To help educate customers, the maker comes to the café to do informational talks and Q&As. Thanks to the model Cathy has established, this maker is given a platform, and the result isn’t just helping with moving product, but bringing others in to experience everything Cambridge Market Cafe has to offer.

“I invite different artists to do paint nights here or cookie decorators to do cookie classes here. I teach charcuterie workshops because we do some catering of charcuterie boards from here. Across the street, Revive Salt Room & Spa started a mocktail mingle once a month. I saw an opportunity to collaborate through some of the alcohol-removed liquors and wines that we carry, so I reached out to see if I could add value to her events. The event is now drawing people throughout southern Wisconsin to Cambridge.”

And when it comes to attracting a diverse crowd, Cathy can’t imagine a more perfect spot. The CamRock Trail brings in mountain bikers, Main Street brings in cyclists, Koshkonong Creek brings in kayakers, and the surrounding small businesses bring in people from all over the Midwest. Not to mention the Lake Ripley crowd, who come up during the warmer months.

The café is also going strong until 4:00 p.m. every night. “We transition from the morning coffee klatch to lunches for business owners in the afternoon.” On Thursdays, the doors don’t close until 7:00 p.m. as the market hosts Sip & Savor in Cambridge. “We actually bring in other food producers. Our kitchen closes at 2:30, but we invite other chefs or food trucks to come in on

Thursdays to offer that variety and to collaborate with other small businesses.” These food producers include Pizza Ranch, Banzo Mediterranean cuisine, Migrants Mexican offerings, Jackknife sushi, and Mangiami Italiano.

One of the really neat things I noticed when visiting was the range of ages coming through her doors. It was finals week, so students were coming to get some food between their tests and studying. With a quiet upstairs (complete with privacy curtains), student groups could set up with their books and laptops as long as they needed, and people of all ages were reading books and enjoying lunch throughout.

One of the students even does flower arrangements for the tables in the summer, and another, who’s also an employee, sells some of her art in the market. Cathy shared a time when the Girl Scouts came for a workshop, and she showed them art done by people they most likely knew, like the local dentist and one of the aides at school.

I didn’t even get into the food and coffee, but you probably already guessed that the majority of ingredients are from local farmers. The coffee is from Rusty Dog, and if you haven’t heard of them yet, you’re in for a tasty surprise. “The community is growing and vibrant, and there are new families moving in.” These families aren’t moving to Cambridge on accident. Connection, collaboration, call it what you will, but Cambridge Market Cafe is a hub whose impact will continue to extend far beyond Cambridge for years to come.

Kyle Jacobson is a writer/editor who believes Mr. Knickerbocker put the bop in the bop shoo bop shoo bop.

Photographs by Eric Tadsen .