Tallitha Reese

“I believe that each of us as humans shine in our own way,” says Marnie Hofmeister-Pooley, owner of Let’s Shine Coffee in Hillsboro, Wisconsin. “We are creative in the only way we can be, because there’s no one else like us.”

Marnie has very intentionally cultivated this idea at Let’s Shine Coffee, which opened at the corner of Water Ave. (AKA State Highway 82) and Mill St. in June of 2021. Its cozy setting – teeming with local artwork, handmade items for sale, and a plethora of plants – is a great place to enjoy a cup of coffee or house-made treat.

“My goal was to make a place where people felt welcome and comfortable and inspired in,” she explains. “The whole coffee shop experience should be a good one.” 

Marnie, a Hillsboro native, spent more than 20 years as an occupational therapy assistant – work she loved – but she always dreamed of opening a coffee shop. In 2019, she and other community members began to envision a way to make this dream a reality. In line with that vision, Marnie traveled to True Stone Coffee Roasters in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she took a two-day class to become a barista. 

“I fell in love with the industry even more after that,” says Marnie. “Realizing all that it took from seed to cup to make an amazing cup of coffee, I did not want to drop the ball when handing that beverage to the customer,” explains Marnie. “From the plantation to the roastery to me…I wanted to put as much respect into that cup of coffee that was deserved.” 

Marnie found that not only was the Hillsboro community ready for Let’s Shine, area coffee roasters and shop owners – like Wonderstate Coffee in Viroqua and JBC Roastery in Madison – were happy to contribute knowledge as well.  

“The industry is just so fun and there’s no real feeling of competition,” says Marnie. “And there’s so much education to be had from where the beans come from to the little nuances in what type of coffee you’re using and how it’s prepared.” 

It’s important to Marnie to serve ethically sourced coffee from roasters who know and are directly involved with the whole process. Marnie learned all that she could so she could, in turn, set up her employees with the full knowledge they needed to given proper credit to every cup of coffee served. 

“My baristas shine behind the coffee bar,” Marnie says. “They also shine in other ways, be it as a musician or an artist.” 

In fact, Let’s Shine gives local artists and makers the opportunity to shine by displaying a variety of local art and décor, and also serving as a space for handmade vendors to offer their wares, or for local musicians to display their talents. Let’s Shine has established a schedule of live music events several times a month and serves as a host location to a weekly yoga class, meetings for Hillsboro’s new budding chamber of commerce, and just recently a fall artisan fair. 

“I wanted to showcase things in the area and give a platform to people who don’t want to or can’t host one themselves,” says Marnie. “Being able to watch them grow and flourish and share what they love is just amazing.”

And when possible, the Let’s Shine menu further showcases the community through organic and local ingredients, such as seasonal produce from Meadowlark Community Farms in neighboring Wonewoc, Wisconsin, and meat items from Mr. B’s Smokehouse Meats, located just down the street in Hillsboro. 

 “We’re in this epicenter of organic food and beauty – why not let that shine?” continues Marnie. “I try to utilize local produce so other people can shine through their maple syrup or their black garlic or spinach.” 

The look, atmosphere, and feel of Let’s Shine is also very much a community effort – from the logo that was designed by Hillsboro High School’s former art teacher, Julie Johnson, to the community loom collaborative art piece displayed in one of the shop’s sitting areas, to the miscellaneous pieces that just appear in the shop’s eclectic collection of décor, courtesy of generous, mysterious visitors. 

“There’s a lot of stories in our décor,” explains Marnie. “I love treasure hunting and a lot of the décor is stuff I’ve accumulated through the years. People also will just call and say ‘hey, do you want this?’ They bring plants as gifts a lot of times as well.”

Some special pieces for Marnie include a banjo that belonged to her grandfather, who was a musician, and art created by her grandmother, reminding Marnie and her customers that a big part of Let’s Shine’s community is Marnie’s own family. 

“My family is super supportive,” Marnie says. “In the beginning I worried that what I had to engulf myself with in order to do this right would take time from them, but it’s become such a family effort.”

Marnie’s husband, Ben Pooley, helps around the shop, doing whatever is needed in the moment, from hauling and unpacking to helping with clean up. Their two kids are involved in the business as well.

“My daughter (Savannah – 16) took the classes with us and is one of the baristas,” says Marnie. “And Gable (13) is the musician of the family, playing guitar and singing – occasionally joined by his sister – when a performer takes a break or during Open Mic. He helps bring out the food a lot of times, too.”

Going forward, Marnie is dedicated to maintaining an atmosphere that is fun and welcoming to both visit and work in, where people can just come and be. 

“The pandemic really took away the ability to be able to take people at face value, interact with them directly and really know what they’re like as a person, rather than just what their social media persona is presented as,” says Marnie. “I love that this is a place where we can have different ideas and opinions and still remember to connect as humans in a true community.”

Like many others, Shaundel Spivey landed in La Crosse to go to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. He set forth to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, and then a Master’s in Student Affairs Administration. He figured when he finished college, his time in La Crosse would be finished too. 

“I was very adamant about leaving La Crosse, actually,” Shaundel laughs. “But the ties to the community kept me here.” As an undergraduate, Shaundel built relationships at a local predominantly black church. He started to volunteer, and his immersion in the community grew from there. And in 2013, Shaundel was working on creating a young black professionals program when he realized several of his college friends were on a similar mission. They combined their efforts, and co-founded what would later become BLACK – Black Leaders Acquiring Collective Knowledge – as a way to empower and elevate the black community in the area.

Now, not only does Shaudel serve as the Executive Director of BLACK, he is also a member of the Beer by Bike Brigade board, the La Crosse School District Board of Education, Governor Tony Evers’ Advisory Council on Equity and Inclusion, and does public speaking engagements on equity and racial justice. 

It seems fair to say that if there is a way to help the La Crosse community, Shaundel is likely involved. And luckily for those benefiting from his work, it looks like he’ll be sticking around. “I really like going up to the bluffs. I like nature. I don’t hike necessarily,” he laughs, “but I love to be in it.” Plus, he’s just a short drive from his family in Milwaukee and has built a great network of friends.

He attributes his ability to serve the community to that network. “I know folks look at me as an individual doing all this great work,” he says. “But you have to have the support of the community and close people. And I’m thankful that I have people close to me that join the work with me, and support me, and also hold me accountable.” 

Collaborations, such as with the La Crosse School District – where Shaundel became involved as a cultural liaison after earning his Master’s degree in 2015 – help support many of the programs he and BLACK have developed. 

After a few members moved out of La Crosse, BLACK took a two-year hiatus. But Shaundel’s connections in the schools started to bring new life to the organization. “I met other biracial and black folks who were also passionate about the cause, so we resurfaced the idea,” he says. 

With remaining co-founder Jazzma Holland, Shaundel invited the group to meet in his living room and plan their resurgence. In 2015, they were back in action. In 2016, they received their non-profit status, and in 2021, they were able to hire some staff, and Shaundel as their first executive director.

The work the organization has done is profound. Collectively, its programs are supporting over a hundred local kids in 3rd-12th grade. One program, Ujima Circle, works with high school students on social and emotional learning. The students are also trained to serve as mentors to elementary students. The program, named after the third principle of Kwanzaa, Ujima, meaning “Collective Work and Responsibility,” has had a 100 percent graduation rate, and all of its participants have gone on to college.

 Another youth program Shaundel is particularly proud of is the Summer Youth Experience, which focuses on teaching black history, college readiness, and a different academic topic each year, such as STEM or entrepreneurship. “This program started from the youth,” he says. “They came to me while I was in the district and said they weren’t learning enough about themselves, and they wanted to do something to learn about their identity, culture, and history.” 

Together, the group travels to historically black colleges and cultural landmarks, and in general, they learn that the world is big and their futures are too. Shaundel has witnessed many of the Summer Youth Experience participants go on to college or other post-secondary options. “We see the benefits from an academic standpoint,” he explains, “But we see them also develop their passions and maybe, someday, become community organizers.” 

Shaundel has seen changes happening in other parts of La Crosse as well, like predominantly white social justice groups working to develop a more inclusive community. And more black and multiracial business owners and others are following their passion, which in some cases, has led to more diversity in leadership roles. BLACK is planning for monthly black professional events and luncheons as a way to continue to bring this community together. 

But the work is far from over. Shaundel encourages others to help build the community with the right mindset and their own offerings. “First, we need to reimagine how we think and talk about equity work,” he suggests. “Then, examine the skills and gifts that you have that you are willing to lend to agencies like BLACK and others.”

Shaundel sees equitable access to resources as a major hurdle for the black community. “I think there is something that still needs to be done in addressing inequities in policy,” he says. He shared more about this concern in a TEDx Talk earlier this year titled, “Reimagining Equity Work.” 

BLACK is also planning for black community caucuses in the coming months. “This is where we can bring folks together to talk about issues and celebrations and to learn about the needs we have in the community,” he says. “This is what helps drive our mission and our work.”

Quick. Think of an artist. Rembrandt, Picasso, Van Gogh might come to mind. If it’s music, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart certainly qualify. Maybe you think of dancers, writers, actors. All artists, of course. Maybe you didn’t need to think at all. Maybe you just needed to look in a mirror.  

What, me an artist, you ask? Sure, why not? “Everyone can be artist,” says Diane Knight. “All of us can create, at every age. It looks different for each person, from a little child arranging colorful rocks to young people and adults painting, crafting, doing needlework, dancing, writing, singing. There are so many ways to create. Even cooking is an art form.”   

Diane knows what she’s talking about. Now in her mid-80s, she lives in Whalan, Minnesota, (four miles east of Lanesboro), and has been an artist all her life. She studied and taught art and has worked hands-on with clay, wood, puppets, masks, and combinations of all of the above.

“I was born in Clinton, Iowa, and was blessed to grow up in a close, loving family,” she says. “People were always doing and making things. My mother was creative and inventive and liked to sew. My dad was a great fixer of things. My aunts were wonderful quilters. We never had a TV. My siblings and I were encouraged to be curious, to use our imaginations, to entertain ourselves. I guess I never stopped.” 

After first attending Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, Diane graduated from Iowa Teachers College (now the University of Northern Iowa) and began teaching art. “It was the mid-1960s,” she says, “which helps explain why at one point I got in my VW bug and headed for the west coast. 

I ended up in San Francisco and one night I found myself at the Avalon Ballroom walking into the same restroom as Janis Joplin. Strange, interesting times.” 

Returning to the Midwest and accepting a job in the art/graphics department at the Mayo Clinic gave Diane’s life – and creative skills – new direction. “My kids joined Rochester’s Masque Youth Theatre and School with Sylvia Langworthy. I volunteered making masks and puppets out of clay and paper mache. It was a true community and I loved it.” 

In 1991, Diane purchased the former State Bank building in Whalan. “It became a perfect space to do and share art. My siblings got involved, too. I was making small figurines out of clay, one brother fashioned wood and wire into beautiful tree sculptures, my other brother was turning wood, and my sister re-designed old jewelry. In 2015 we opened as ‘The Old Bank Art Gallery’ and ran that together that for a number of years, adding other artists as we went along.”  

All that creative energy in one family makes you wonder – is artistic skill genetic, is it something you’re just born with? “Who really knows where that comes from,” Diane says. “But it starts with being curious. Curiosity leads people to creativity and finding ways to express themselves. It makes life more fulfilling.” 

Even through doodling. Doodles are easily dismissed as simple drawings people make while their attention is actually somewhere else. (President Ronald Reagan was a famous doodler). Diane was doodling long before she considered it art. “I took notes at work meetings. Afterwards I couldn’t read my own writing! So I started drawing little squiggles, lines, and shapes instead and found that it helped me remember things much better. 

“One day my little granddaughter and I were painting random lines and shapes and colors. Later I added black lines to my painting and that became my first ‘formal’ doodle. I find the whole process relaxing, even healing.” Having created hundreds of doodles, Diane has framed and sold many. 

Over the years her art has known different seasons. “One day I decided to let go of my kiln,” she recalls. “It was sad; I loved doing clay and I miss it. But it was time to move on. I noticed that in my journaling and dream-work, thought-provoking phrases jumped out at me. I never thought of myself as a poet, but I started writing poetry.” Diane’s first book, “Putting Down Words,” has sold hundreds of copies. 

Her art changes, but one constant is the delight and fulfillment that creative projects give her. “When I’m working on a project I wake up in the morning excited to see how it’s coming along and eager to continue,” she says. “It’s just fun! Every person can experience that joy, no matter what they’re doing or how old they are.” 

Diane also loves the way art can connect people. “The bank building is my home,” she explains. “I love welcoming people here to do art together. We had a group called the ‘Playful Creators’ who enjoyed all kinds of projects – clay, mosaic, painting, and more – wonderful times of talking, laughter, hands moving. Musicians and writers have shared here, too. I’m as happy and proud about bringing people together to create as I am of any piece of art I’ve ever done.” 

In her home sits the old bank vault that long ago secured money and valuables. Makes you wonder, though. What has more value? Long-faded dollar bills or the creative spirit Diane infused into this space? My money is on the art. It sparks joy. It fulfills. It connects people. And anyone can do it. Go ahead. Look in that mirror. Give it a try.