09/16/2026
hey pals 👋🏼 johnny here. it’s been awhile since you’ve heard from me/left field and i wanted to give you a bit of an update. after spending 8+ years in this building with left field, it’s time i move on to my next adventure: medical school 🩺
when the DDA reached out to me about the space in 2018, i was wrapping up my junior year in undergrad studying pre-med, chemistry, and sociology. i took a huge leap of faith (and middleville, y’all caught me with open arms) and pivoted into a dream i had since i was 13: having a coffee shop. when my initial lease was up, i was about ready to hang up my apron, take the MCAT, and continue schooling. then the pandemic happened. i knew that we’d need a strong community to power through—throwing in the towel no longer felt like an option. so i stayed and offered free lunches throughout the pandemic to those facing food insecurity, we pivoted to online sales and shipping things out through the post office when the USPS faced massive budget cuts, and most importantly, when it was clear to open back up, we did so safely and welcomed people back to what i always called middleville’s living room.
dude, there was so much good that happened because of what you were able to help me achieve in the ville: community events during the holidays, java jog 5K races, spaces for people to be their authentic selves, listening ears for those who were hurting, raising awareness for our LGBTQIA+ neighbors simply by being a q***r business in a small rural town. hell, we even opened another location to keep on spreading the joy and kindness!!
i always told the team and new hires that were in the business of hospitality first, coffee second. hospitality is the art of taking care of people. thankfully in the world of coffee, we got to do that on the regular mundane days: people headed to work, to class, or meeting a coworker for lunch, and on the positive ones too: new moms meeting other moms, people coming out to themselves and others, and the many events, book clubs, and celebrations in the back room! what i’m looking forward to the most in medicine is that i’ll still be practicing hospitality, taking care of people on their mundane days but also on the scarier, uncertain days too. where a listening ear can help ease worries, a calm demeanor can assuage fears, and maybe even a cafeteria coffee can change someone’s day around.
middleville, this has been an amazing 8 years. i’ve genuinely spent the entirety of my 20s in that building and in the community, and while our lease is ending and we’re moving out, left field will still be around in some shape or form. at least until i leave for school next summer i’ll be roasting beans (available at www.leftfield.coffee) and i have been known to go for a run on the good ole Paul Henry Trail. left field didn’t start in middleville and it’s not ending here either. i’m sure more will always be in store for left field.
while we didn’t have a formal “good-bye” party, i’d love to invite you in on saturday the 19th from 10a-2p for a cafe-style “garage” sale. i still have some really nice chairs, tables, decor, and miscellaneous things that i’m wanting to part with, and maybe having a piece of left field in your home will bring positive memories.
much love, middleville. thank you for letting me take care of you with coffee, and also thank you for taking care of me as well all these years of business.
peace + coffee,
johnny
