THUNDER BAY - Lakehead students will have much more incentive to study at ‘The Study’ this year.
Thanks to major renovations made by the Lakehead University Student Union and Firedog Communications, the city’s only student-run business is also the newest and brightest coffee shop in town.
“Last year I enjoyed coming in here, but this definitely feels like a better place to study, definitely a lot easier to get work done here,” said second-year student Taylor O’Brien.
“It’s definitely a more welcoming experience,” O'Brien said.
Working with a $175,000 budget, a refurbished lounge area comes with a fireplace, couches, blankets, and a main area with hardwood floor, additional seating, and outlets for students to study.
Main area where people can study, read a book, network, meet with friends, or just hang out and have a coffee.
LUSU VP Farhan Yousaf said while the coffee shop had always been run by students, the old place looked like a place from the 1980s.
“We completely changed everything in here. Where the hardwood is right now, there used to be carpet with this red rubber material. We had older furniture, and we replaced that. We only had four outlets for people to plug in their laptops.” Yousaf said.
Firedog Communications worked with LUSU to help bring the project to life.
“LUSU actually contacted us to see how we could bring their brand to life in this space,” CEO Stephanie Ash said. “We helped them with a creative vision and designed what you see today.”
“They wanted a sensory experience that was homie, comfortable, and relaxing.”
Ash said their next marketing step will be to connect the shop with the rest of Thunder Bay, which is open to the public for general use, and booking private events.
“One of the great things they’ve done is connect to local suppliers. So the coffees, the products, the baking...all the things they are selling are locally sourced.”
Local cofee companies such as Rose N Crantz, and St. Paul Roastery are available.“This is reinvestment. This is money that students have given us that we have put back in student spaces,” said Yousaf.
