What’s your usual? Is it a Green Tea with a shot of lemon and a blueberry scone? It may be a French Roast with a dash of cinnamon for here and a cup of water to go. Whatever your usual may be, the source of where it comes from is a contributing factor of satisfaction. Wheeler Avenue’s unassuming coffee shop, The Black Cow, provides its regular and first-time customers with more than just their usuals.

“The sign on the door in the Croton location says ‘A gathering place’, because that’s what we are,” said owner and founder of The Black Cow Michael Grant. “We’re more than just a coffee shop – we’re a place for friends to come, meet up and hang out with no pretentions.”

That is what separates the mom and pop establishment from the conventional franchises and coffee corporations. When Grant first opened up shop with his wife Peggy in 1995 and began searching for an additional location due to booming business and a steadily increasing passion for their profession and now hobby.

“When we were looking to expand after our first opening, we met with venture capitalists,” recalls Grant. “They were talking about investment percentages and promising the establishment of multiple locations. We wanted nothing to do with that.”

What the mom and pop establishment was seeking was nothing more than one additional location, relaxed and convenient enough to service customers of varying backgrounds and professions. At the time, the desired location was occupied but ended up closing ten years after the turn of the millennium. With this great news, the Grants jumped at the opportunity to expand in Pleasantville where The Black Cow’s second location opened in 2011. Inspired by the Boston based franchise, The Coffee Connection, The Black Cow’s morning beverages are organized by country. Guatemala, Zimbabwe and Indonesia are only three of the many countries that the Grants have their beans imported from.

“I always remembered how cool it was in [The Coffee Connection],” reminisced Grant. “Every day was an adventure in that store.”

The new business owners, a former contractor and nurse, have instilled a similar feeling of adventure in both of their shops. However, a laid back and homey ambiance has been encompassed as well, due to the devotion that the Grants have poured into the business. Although the business itself began back in the mid ‘90s, the loyalty of the couple to their shops continues to manifest itself daily, beginning promptly at 4:30 a.m.

“There are no pretentions in those early hours, you’re able get the real person,” said Grant. “It’s a wonderful way to connect when you don’t have your daily guard up – that’s when the real connections are made.”

The Grants and their staff have fostered hundreds of friendships due to the hundreds of daily regulars that make their day in and day out appearance. For many, the faith that has been established in shop is different from the faith that society has in larger corporations. People can rely on Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks to provide them with the necessary caffeine to function. The Black Cow steps in and acts as the antithesis to the aforementioned corporations, The Black Cow will give you coffee and The Black Cow will give you much more than that as well. However, the real difference lies in the values of the owners.

Michael and Peggy need their customers just as much as the customers need their coffee.

“I don’t know what I would do without [the shop],” said Grant. “It’s been just about 20 years and I would certainly be lost without the connection.”

The customer connection, the two-way community support and the early-morning, daily routines have become integral parts in Michael’s and Peggy’s lives. In addition to offering Pleasantville and Croton the option of fabulous coffee, the couple also provides encouragement to each community.

“If your child needs a place to hang, or you just need something to drink but don’t have any money, we’ll take care of you,” said Grant.  “To us it’s not about the money – it’s about meeting wonderful people and it is just amazing that they like what we do, I love it.”

The owners and the customers are not the only ones that appreciate the shops.

“This is the best job ever,” said the barista Danielle, who has been with the Pleasantville shop for nine months. “It has changed my whole being, reduced my stressed levels and I tell Michael all the time that I’m staying forever.”

Danielle, along with the other staff members, radiates the type of energy needed in a coffee shop. Customers leave feeling physically and emotionally satisfied. The Black Cow is more than a mere note on a to-do list, it is an essential the routines of many community members.

“People get used to what they get,” said Grant, “and we give it to them every single day.”

Day in and day out, The Grants have undoubtedly contributed to the lives of many. One last question remains: why “The Black Cow”?

When Michael and Peggy were considering opening a coffee shop they owned a little black goat named Sophie. Initially the store would be named after Sophie, The Black Goat, but the Grants found that the name sounded too much like a bar. After much deliberation, Peggy’s picture and statue collection of cows is what rung bells in the heads of the soon-to-be owners.

And the rest is history.