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It’s a bold statement to claim we’ve got a new, fun, and inclusive hobby for coffee lovers that’s bound to become your favorite, right? Well, we like our statements like we like our coffee: strong, lighthearted, and locally sourced.
There are other coffee crafts that you can partake in and have a grand afternoon doing and using your imagination! Alas, we have a fun new coffee lovers’ hobby that you can continue doing, without much effort, for the rest of your coffee lovers’ lives. Seriously! Your coffee lovers’ lives and National Coffee Day just got a whole latte sweeter!
Alright, alright, it’s time to reveal this baddie new hobby. Introducing the quirky, the repurposed, the locally supporting hobby of collecting local coffee shop coffee sleeves!
Coffee Lovers New Hobby Alert: Coffee Sleeve Collection
Coffee sleeve– it’s the clothing of the to-go coffee world! Have you ever seen those coffee sleeves that have a cool logo or artwork on them? Those bad boys are typically from your neighborhood and independently owned coffee shops. This is where all the magic happens for your future coffee lovers’ coffee sleeve collection.
We love this fun coffee lovers’ hobby for several lovely reasons:
- It’s an excellent way to repurpose a coffee sleeve instead of throwing it away. You’re giving it a second life!
- Your coffee sleeve collection can make for a brilliant decor piece in your kitchen or by your wee coffee lovers’ station.
- A coffee sleeve collection can be a sweet memento of all the places you’ve traveled to or fond memories of beloved coffee shops.
- Can’t remember the name of that coffee shop you really enjoyed, and you want to share it with your fellow coffee lovers? You’ve got a collection you can refer to!
- Collecting coffee sleeves can be a great incentive to continue to support local coffee shops.
And those are just a handful of reasons! Sometimes hobbies can be expensive; we totally hear that. So when you can combine two things you love, coffee and collecting, you can cut down the cost of your new hobby to a simple coffee order. Pretty sweet, huh? It’s a win-win situation!
Why Coffee Lovers Should Support Local Coffee Shops
We’re all familiar with big coffee names like Starbucks, and you’re not associated as ‘evil coffee lovers‘ if you’ve ordered from Starbucks before.
Heck, I have, and I found a way to repurpose my Starbucks cup. But when the option to support local is there, I’m going to be standing in that line with a smile on my face and excitement in my stomach of wondering, ‘Do they have a neat coffee sleeve for the collection?‘
One of the biggest reasons why we strongly advocate supporting local coffee shops is the beauty in a self-owned business and the livelihood someone(s) has poured into it. and all for the love of coffee and serving it to others. Isn’t that something?
We’ve also listed out a few more reasons why coffee lovers should support local:
- Local coffee shops are so much more fun than chain coffee shops, let’s be honest. It’s rare that I go into a local coffee shop that isn’t decorated sweetly and doesn’t have an awesome set of staff that are ready to make your order.
- Sure, chain coffee shops have specialties every now and then. But local coffee shops go that extra yard of making hilarious and delicious specialty orders and shaking things up.
- Whether you’re a remote worker, a writer, or looking to catch up with a friend, a local coffee shop is the perfect venue for it all!
- Money isn’t everything, but wouldn’t you rather give your money for a service from people/businesses who genuinely care about your day and coffee order rather than a big-name company that doesn’t have as much investment?
- Put yourself in a local coffee shop owner’s business shoes; wouldn’t you want to share the love of your coffee and services with others? Give back and support local!
As I mentioned above, you aren’t a ‘bad coffee lovers‘ if you don’t choose local every single time. We’ve all been on the go and left with only a drive-through Starbucks option. I encourage you to pick local when you can, both proximity and money-wise.
Let’s get into this fun coffee sleeve collection for you awesome coffee lovers!
How to Start Your Coffee Sleeve Collection
My partner and I started our coffee sleeve collection back in 2021. It started as a simple decoration for us two coffee lovers, repurposing an old extendable wooden wall hanging, typically used for coats or hats, and slowly turned into the coffee sleeve collection it is today.
We love to travel together, and a staple to those travels is checking out new and quirky coffee shops. From our own favorite local coffee shops such as Ruby Coffee Roasters and Emy J’s Coffee House to our out-of-town adventures to local coffee shops such as the Finnish Bistro Coffee & Cafe. You can plan ahead of time and seek out interesting local coffee shops (like we did for the photo below), or you can go with the flow and see what you come across! The fun in collecting coffee sleeves is you don’t know what kind of sleeve you’ll see next or how you’ll get there. It’s all about travel, supporting local, and coffee, of course!
For our coffee sleeve display, we used the following items:
- Coffee sleeves (of course!)
- Extendable wooden wall hanging
- Mini clothes pins
- Decorative string
You’re totally able to customize your display to what fits your home’s aesthetic, and I totally encourage you to make this coffee lovers collection your own!
How to Begin Collecting Coffee Sleeves
Beginning your coffee sleeve collecting journey is the start of all the delicious fun you’ll have in your new-found hobby, coffee lovers! To start collecting coffee sleeves, you just have to pick a local coffee shop and go.
Here are a few tips to start you out:
- Set aside some time in a day where you could use a little coffee lovers adventure and set off (Instagram it!)
- Start with a local coffee shop you’re familiar with (That’s what we did!)
- Although it takes the surprise out of it, you can always look up reviews of local coffee shops and look at the photos and see if you spot a coffee sleeve (My partner does this from time to time when he’s planning our out-of-town adventures)
What if you order cold drinks?
Have no fear; even the cold-drink coffee lovers can take part in the coffee sleeve collecting hobby! The solution to this is very simple, and it’s even one that I have used on multiple occasions.
After you’ve ordered your drink, before stepping away from the counter, ask if you can take a coffee sleeve with you. Most of the time, you’ll receive a smile and be handed a sleeve, and on rare occasions, you may be asked why out of pure barista curiosity. In my experience, when I expressed why I wanted a coffee sleeve, the person on the other side of the conversation was delighted! And sometimes, if you’re lucky, there are coffee sleeves set out already by a sugar/cream station.
Please don’t be afraid to ask for a coffee sleeve; you’ve already ordered a coffee, so it’s not as if you’re stealing or not being supportive of the shop. You got this, coffee lovers!
What if the coffee shop doesn’t have a customized coffee sleeve?
You’ve arrived at this quirky coffee joint, you’re super stoaked, you get your coffee, and although it is delicious, it is without a branded coffee sleeve. My partner and I have been there before; bummer! But we’ve come up with a fun solution.
If a coffee shop doesn’t have a customized coffee sleeve but does have stickers of their shop available, you can purchase a sticker and place it on the coffee sleeve as we’ve done in the photo below!
I sincerely hope you take up coffee sleeve collecting because no two collections are the same, and it’s such a fun way to expand your coffee lovers’ experience.
Keep the coffee lovers fun going by taking a look at our other coffee crafts!
Free Coffee Monogram Messages Stencil Cut Files
How to Make Coffee Stencils Using a Cricut Machine
How to Make a Thankful Turkey with a Coffee Can
How to Repurpose a Ceiling Fan Blade into Coffee Cup Signs
5-Step DIY Christmas Ornament Super Easy & Extra Cute