By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Caitlyn and Cory Meitner already owned Brick & Blossom Boutique, a salon on Main Street in downtown Hoisington. But for years, Caitlyn has dreamed bigger. When Stacy Meitner moved back to Hoisington, the ladies put those ideas into motion. On Thursday, Sept. 3, just before the big Labor Day Celebration, the Meitners opened Bubbles Drink Bar at Brick & Blossom.
“We moved into this building in 2020, so it’s probably been since 2022 that I’ve been dreaming about it and trying to figure it out and wanting to do it,” Caitlyn said. “My sister-in-law moved back from Kansas City, and we were brainstorming, and we just took off and ran with it. It’s something we’ve always wanted to do, and I felt like she was that missing piece.”
Bubbles offers coffees, lemonades, refreshers, loaded teas, matchas, and more. It also serves as a community space for friends and family or small business meetings.
“Right when you walk in the door, Bubbles will be the first thing you see,” said Caitlyn. “Our coffee counter is right there, then we have some fun, cozy sofas setup. We also have multiple tables in the front of the store. We have board games and books, so people can hang out for hours if they’d like to.”
Caitlyn calls herself the dreamer, and her husband, Cory, the doer. He’s helped physically build the businesses. Brick & Blossom is a for-rent salon with four employees. A stylist is typically available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. six days a week. Open seven days a week, Bubbles will offer its drink menu, plus a handful of grab-and-go food items like Freaking Delicious Cheesecake on a stick and cheesecake-stuffed cookies, protein bars, muffins, beef sticks, and chips. Despite the whirlwind of Labor Day weekend, the business model has worked so far.
“It’s been great,” Caitlyn said. “We joke that it was either the most genius or the craziest decision of our lives to open the weekend before Labor Day, but it went really smoothly. Our girls are getting formal training this week, so for them to just be thrown into it, they all did amazing. It was very chaotic and very busy. Even through last week, it’s been the perfect amount of busy.”
Brick & Blossom capitalized on Barton County’s Façade Improvement Grant Program. Those renovations already made the business stand out in downtown Hoisington. Bubbles' new colors - hot orange and pink - and some outdoors seating make the business stand out even more.
“That, next to the Brick & Blossom with the black and white, just pops really well,” said Caitlyn. “We put two little pink tables outside, so people can sit outdoors. We had people use them over Labor Day, so that was fun to see.”
With cooler temperatures on the way for the fall season, options are unlimited in the coffee world. Meitner said Bubbles now employees 10 people, mostly of high-school age. The girls are planning a fall lineup to include pumpkin spice, various witches’ brews, and a cardigan apple-raspberry lemonade. Even on a busy day, Meitner expects a wait time of no more than 10 minutes for a custom-made drink.
“We are a smaller shop, and we make everything from scratch,” she said. “Our beans, we use a roaster out of Cimarron, so we know where every bean comes from. They’re top quality. We make our own whipped topping, we make our own cold foam, we batch our matcha here. We make everything fresh to order so it takes a little bit longer than a quick drive-thru place.”
Enjoying drinks now is limited to visiting the business at 104 N. Main Street in Hoisington, but online ordering will be available soon. The goal is to have specific days and times for deliveries to local businesses.
Bubbles Drink Bar is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Follow the Bubbles on social media for daily specials and Cardinal specials reserved for game days.