Black Lodge Coffee Roasters’ Gale celebrates tenth year

New Harmony businessman Alex Gale sits stoically in the middle of Black Lodge Coffee Roasters in New Harmony. He is celebrating his tenth year involved with the business this weekend. Photo provided

By Dave Pearce

Some people like to live on the edge while others like to have their ‘Constant.” New Harmony businessman Alex Gale likes his constant.

This weekend’s celebration of 10 years at the Black Lodge Coffee Roasters in New Harmony did not come without its share of stepping out of comfort zones, questioning decisions, setbacks, and working long and hard days and nights. But 10 years in, “Mr. Alex” wouldn’t change a thing.

“I found out about Black Lodge through a colleague of mine back in 2017,” Gale explained. “Black Lodge opened in 2016 and the colleague told me there was a brand new coffee shop out here with a roaster, as well. It just kind of blew my mind because it made me realize how long it had been since I had been to New Harmony.”

When he received the information, Gale was living in Evansville where he got his start in coffee at no other than a local Starbucks. He remembered Sara’s in New Harmony but the colleague explained that it wasn’t Sara’s but rather a little white building across from the New Harmony Post Office.

Gale remembers his first time at Black Lodge.

“I remember coming in and it was very minimalistic and just a beautiful place,” he said. “It was love at first sight. I looked over and there’s a roaster. Then when I got to the counter, there was Marc Chevalier, the original proprietor.

As Gale was looking at the facility for the first time, Marc had to confess that although he loved coffee, but it was his wife who “did” the coffee. She had gone to run some errands so as the two waited, Gale found out that they were both from Nashville.

Gale described the coincidence as a beautiful connection. It gave them a common place to begin.

“I remember when Amanda served me my first flat white here,” Gale said longingly. “I had never had a flat white before and when I tasted it, it just hit me what a specialty coffee was.”

At that same time, Gale had started in the Evansville Barista Coalition. The Coalition’s theme at the time was “Let’s go beyond community. Let’s build a coffee family that stretches around the globe.” It was an opportunity for baristas to get together and exchange ideas.

“I had invited Amanda to one of my meetings along with all the roasters in the area,” he explained. “One thing led to another and I remember it was the week before Kunstfest, I got this text message from Amanda saying ‘hey, I know you are busy but would you be willing to pick up a shift at Black Lodge?’,”

The response took absolutely no thought.

“It was just one of those things where if you fall in love with a place/thing, and you can’t stop thinking about it, it is one of those things that keeps evaluating your life and continues to show up in the most mysterious ways. It continues to be a constant in life.”

Gale explained that when there is a constant in your life, it is that thing you can always count on to be there. It creates loyalty and commitment.

“Coffee always continues to resurface in my life,” Gale explained. “I have been in the coffee industry for 23 years. It was one of those things where I didn’t really know the journey, but I knew the path. Coffee has always reemerged to create balance in my life. “

In 2017, Gale began working at Black Lodge and in 2018, he was married at the coffee shop. Then in 2019, Gale and his husband, Benjamin Ward, officially took over the shop. Time went by and Gale can remember when Amanda approached him in a hap-hazard manner about taking over the shop. But despite the enchantment and the love for the shop, it could take some convincing for this new level of commitment.

Amanda began by showing Gale how to roast because by his own admission, he knew he could not take over the business if he didn’t know the heart of the business. Mistakes are expensive and learning on your own takes time and Gale admitted he didn’t have a ton of either.

After the commitment had been made, Gale realized the commitment was merely the first step. He spent his first summer at the ISBDC (Indiana Small Business Development Center) with advisor Doug Claybourne. He asked difficult questions and essentially changed the trajectory of Gale’s life.

Gale knew the side of business that involved, showing up, working hard and talking to people but he really had never learned how to “run” a business. That’s where he learned. And it didn’t take long for this to become a life application.

Black Lodge Coffee Roasters was denied its license a fifth time before someone saw something in him and thought they needed to give him a chance. That person still resides in his life. She had hope and promise for what could be.

It was November of 2019 when they were finally approved and just like that came 2020 and COVID.

“But we continued to show up and we created a constant in peoples’ lives when perhaps that was one of few constants in anyone’s lives. We re-evaluated the business we extended hours and changed the days that we were open until close,” he explained. “We continue to open up constantly for those people who depend on us. It creates stability, commitment and loyalty. And we have stayed in our lane.”

The Chevaliers will be back in New Harmony to help celebrate the tenth year on April 18. Gale always credits the family with creating the company and gives them kudos for the company’s continued existence.

The building, an old Cooper House, hosts the Black Lodge and the entire story is loosely based on the 1990s show “Twin Peaks.” The main character in the show is Agent Cooper. Was this building always meant to be for Black Lodge? We may never know.

Through the years, Gale has learned it is OK to be vulnerable. That it’s OK to fail. If you aren’t taking chances, you are never learning anything. It’s OK to set boundaries and it is OK not to say “yes” every time.

“Sometimes “no” simply means next opportunity,” he said with a smile. “It’s OK to set expectations for yourself. It creates more of a demand if you are setting boundaries.”

Although Gale is the first to admit that while he has learned while in the business, there’s always more to learn. He’s proud of his accomplishments and cognizant of his “failures.”

“I have a personal relationship with my farmers, my servers and my vendors,” he reasoned. “We keep up with each other. We’re not just buying things and reselling them. We are selling a story. Anyone can sell a good cup of coffee but does that cup of coffee come with a story?”

Gale invites everyone to come share in the anniversary celebration this weekend, April 18, from 9 to 5 where memories and stories will flow like coffee. The Black Lodge will be serving mocktails and the baker will be serving food. There will be vendors and some art on display. From 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., Cecelia Paradise will be singing and then from 2 until 4 p.m., Cage Willis will be singing. Make new memories and new friends.

And as for the coffee, if you know, you know.