Starlight Coffee Co. shines at five locations
Jim Book jokingly said he was “young, dumb, and broke” when he started Starlight Coffee Company under the name Bean Street back in 2002. He said there were no other coffee shops in Southern Indiana at the time and that Starlight remains the longest-running coffee shop in the area.
“Me personally, I was determined to do something and met a couple that ran a shop over in Louisville that also did their own roasting,” he said.
The couple walked him through the process and helped educate him on the coffee business.
“It’s kind of like bartending without alcohol, and it fits my personality. I grew up on a farm; I’m a morning person, and I like to engage with people.” – Jim Book, Owner
“It’s kind of like bartending without alcohol, and it fits my personality. I grew up on a farm; I’m a morning person, and I like to engage with people,” Book said.
The couple who helped him were very informative for him; after that, he said it took a lot of his own manual labor to get the space ready.
“I went into running a business blindly and just had to learn how to manage, how to maintain, how to pay bills as I went,” he said. “It was definitely a hands-on learning experience.”
After four or five years, Book changed the name of the shop to the same name as his roasting company, “Starlight,” after learning of another business using Bean Street. Since then, the business has grown from one to five different locations across Southern Indiana.
Most recently, Starlight opened its doors at a new location in Georgetown in October. Book said he’s always had his eye on Georgetown since a lot of their Floyds Knobs business traffic comes from Georgetown.
Most recently, Starlight opened its doors at a new location in Georgetown in October. Book said he’s always had his eye on Georgetown since a lot of their Floyds Knobs business traffic comes from Georgetown.
Once his friend Seth Ernstberger opened his orthodontic practice, he reached out to Book with the idea of using part of the space as a coffee shop.
“For him, it was space that wasn’t being utilized; for me, it was a good opportunity,” Book said.
Though Starlight now has multiple locations and nearly 60 staff members, Book said something he felt challenged by early on was recognizing there were waves of good and bad days.
“They level out, but you have moments where it’s good or bad,” he said. “From that point on, it’s just (learning) organization and managing a lot of people.”
Going forward, he said one of his goals is increasing efficiency now that they have so many locations.
“Putting the fifth store on was kind of demanding, especially on the roasting side, so there’s some internal work to get going to make things more efficient,” he said.
Book said Starlight is the only shop in Southern Indiana that roasts its own beans, while others use vendors. “We work with the farms to source it, roast it, and brew it.”
Book said Starlight is the only shop in Southern Indiana that roasts its own beans, while others use vendors. “We work with the farms to source it, roast it, and brew it.”
“Coffee is just the pit of a cherry — it’s the seeds of a round cherry, so each farm and how they harvest it and depulp it and dry it creates unique characteristics in the bean itself, kind of like the terroir of soil for winemaking,” he said.
For instance, you might have the same grape vine growing in California as in France, but their tastes are unique from one another. For Starlight, everything is specialty-grade.
The different notes and flavors of beans are one of Book’s favorite parts, as he tends to take his coffee black. As far as a sweet drink, though, he recommends a mocha latte with an extra shot and half the chocolate.
The different notes and flavors of beans are one of Book’s favorite parts, as he tends to take his coffee black. As far as a sweet drink, though, he recommends a mocha latte with an extra shot and half the chocolate.
“We have our set menu of options, but then you can build your own, and then the staff creates specials as well,” he said.
Community engagement is part of why Book enjoys his job so much. He hopes to create an experience where people get a dose of positivity and friendliness when they stop in or drive through a shop.
“Most people start the morning with coffee, so it’s just like they need that positivity and that comfort,” he said. “We want to make a great drink, something they carry away and makes them happy as they’re sipping on it.” •
Story by Darian Decker // Photos by Michelle Hockman
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