Courtesy of Hilary Debbie

Opened on Sunday, January 28, Brunswick’s newest coffee shop, Reverie Coffee House, fills a new niche in the town’s coffee market. Located on 117 Maine Street, Reverie resides where CBD American Shaman used to sit.

Owner Hannah Josseyln and shop manager Kylie Nikas launched their business selling coffee last summer on a trailer parked on Bath Road, Reverie Coffee Trailer. The day before the trailer closed for the season, Josselyn was surprised to learn that 117 Maine Street had opened for lease.

“We converted an old horse trailer, and it was a mobile bar, so it was already set up…. We basically just did the espresso drinks and a small amount of local baked goods every day,” Josselyn said. “We were just trying to get our feet wet with the whole coffee thing, and we were planning on doing that for a couple years, and then we just fell into this spot.”

Nikas said that the menu focuses mostly on coffee but also includes baked goods, which are sourced from Wildflours Gluten-Free Bakery and Hankering Pie. The pair purchases their coffee beans from Time and Tide Coffee in Biddeford.

Josselyn and Nikas were high school friends who grew up in neighboring towns in Vermont but lost touch for several years. After reconnecting online a few years ago, they decided to open a coffee shop together.

“We’ve known each other forever and hadn’t seen each other in ten years,” Nikas said. “[Josselyn] sent me a post on Instagram one day and was like … ‘Every time I see something like this, it reminds me of you.’ We hadn’t talked in forever, and she just said that. And then she said, ‘I want to open up a coffee shop,’ and I said, ‘Me too.’”

Soon after, Reverie was born. The coffee shop is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nikas predicts that Reverie will also be open on Tuesday and close every day at 4 p.m once the shop hires more employees.

Customers who were at Reverie on Monday afternoon feel that the shop closes a gap in the Brunswick coffee shop market.

Eric Swanson and Will Butler, residents of West Bath and Brunswick respectively, used to go to Little Dog together to chat for hours and hadn’t found an adequate replacement for that pastime following Little Dog’s closure until Reverie opened.

“Since [Little Dog] closed, I felt like there was a space missing in coffee shops in the area,” Butler said. “[Reverie] is nice because as long as you can find somewhere to sit, it’s pretty quiet and has a relaxed atmosphere.”

Swanson echoed Butler’s sentiment. He visited the Abbey, another newly-opened coffee shop that is housed in Little Dog’s old space, but didn’t find the ambience he imagined.

“I had tried the Abbey, but I felt kind of out of place with the liquor in there too,” Swanson said. “I went at 3 p.m. in the afternoon—people were drinking at the bar, and I went over to the window to drink my coffee. I like this atmosphere better.”

Brunswick resident Brian Christopher said he appreciates Reverie’s early opening and late closing times.

“I love an afternoon coffee, and there’s not a ton of places in Brunswick to get coffee after 1 p.m.,” Christopher said. “It’s also nice that they open at 7 a.m. because I come into work early.”

Nikas does not believe that Reverie is not in competition with other Brunswick coffee shops, despite concerns she’s heard that the Brunswick coffee market is oversaturated.

“I think [each coffee shop] brings something completely different to the table … and we’ve gotten really good feedback that people need this,” Nikas said. “I’ve heard that the Abbey focuses more on cocktails, and they’re more restaurant-style: They offer food, sandwiches, stuff like that whereas we don’t. We’re mainly just focused on the coffee part of it.”

Nikas mentioned that they want to introduce “funky” drinks and have plans to add a mushroom latte to their menu. A mushroom latte, she explained, blends a powder mix of adaptogens (plant substances used to manage stress) like reishi and ashwagandha with steamed milk.

“It’s delicious, it’s good for your brain health,” Nikas said. “And there’s no caffeine, so [for] people who can’t have caffeine, that’s always an option for them.”

Courtesy of Hillary Debbie

Josselyn, her husband and Nikas spent the last couple months refining the shop’s atmosphere. White walls decorated by pothos plants, macramé wall hangings, a pastel pink arch and a mural of a bird set the tone for their comforting space.

“Our aesthetic is earthy and plants and boho, and we love using the wall space for local artists,” Josselyn said. “We have a bunch of lounge chairs, but we also have benches if people want to sit and do work. We’ve got old books we’ve thrifted, so you can grab a book and chill. We have the floor lamps, which I think makes it look and feel homey.”

An area in the back corner of the shop also features a playset for kids.

“The kid area was really well-received, and I’m a mother myself, so I definitely appreciate it,” Josselyn said. “[Reverie] is very family-oriented but also a workspace for people to relax.”

Josselyn said that she and her co-workers plan to host evening events outside of shop hours in the near future.

“We’ve had interest in a book club, a crochet club. We want to do open mics, readings for kids [on] Sunday mornings, different movie nights, midterm study sessions” Josselyn said. “We just want to optimize the space that we have for the community, being open to whatever anybody wants.”

Josselyn shared that she named Reverie after the state of mind that she’s found coffee shops can inspire.

“Reverie means getting lost in one’s daydreams,” Josselyn said. “A coffee shop is somewhere people can come and get lost in a book or talk with a friend or meet a stranger and just get away from the world’s craziness.”

Nikas has long been drawn to coffee shops for those exact reasons.

“I found a lot of coffee shops when I was in college to go do homework and escape,” Nikas said. “So it’s always been a big draw. Everywhere I go, I don’t go to bars; I find a coffee shop.”