Roscoe coffee creates a community klatch

By Erick Slattery | Manor Ink

Roscoe, NY – Material Index of Roscoe can be found in Taylor + Ace. It is a chic and hip coffee shop one could spend hours in, enjoying a lovely cup of coffee and browsing books and vintage items that are Taylor + Ace’s wares. From the moment you walk in, there’s music playing on a record player personalized to the vibe of the room and the people in it. The atmosphere is chill yet lively, with the people hanging out creating the energy.

Material Index has been an ongoing idea for quite some time now. Bob Ryan originally set up his stand for serving coffees and pastries at Sunshine Colony in Livingston Manor as an occasional “pop up” event. Ryan, however, decided to make his shop a permanent thing with proper location.

Ryan moved into the same building as his good friends Charlotte Taylor and Ethan Ace, owners of Taylor + Ace. This change allowed him and his team to explore new beginnings for a small, permanent shop. In moving to Taylor + Ace, he was given the freedom to decide where his stand would be, and how everything would co-exist with the rest of the store.

The atmosphere may be intriguing in itself, but would be nothing without the books. These books are unlike the regular fare you might imagine finding in a coffee shop, and they give a different twist to the atmosphere entirely. Their genres can range from art to science fiction to philosophy.

“It’s generally all over the place, things we find interesting and things we find beautiful,” said Bob Ryan. Even though Material Index specializes in coffee, books have always been a part of his plan. Sometimes people come in to buy books, not coffee. Ryan makes sure book lovers can always come in anytime to purchase his stand’s books, even if Material Index is closed.

While coffee is the stand’s primary focus, Material Index offers a menu that changes frequently, given people’s preference for certain options. This means that if something seems not to be favored by his customers, Ryan and his team will swap that item out for something different, hoping to shake up the menu.

Maybe the coolest thing about the combination of Material Index’s coffee and Taylor + Ace’s vintage wares is the opportunity the space creates for the community. No one is rushing. The couches are full of friends and customers simply hanging out, sipping hot beverages and chatting. You won’t see an open laptop, but you will probably see Cam Shaw, co-owner of the Manor restaurant Threshold, teaching someone to knit a particularly intricate stitch, or just working on their own woolen creation.

Roscoe is changing for the better, and the proof is in the coffee.