Town & Country

6 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2017 R U S S E L L Full of Beans FUN AND FAMILY TIME ARE PERKS AT BIN 22 1601 Main st, Dauphin, Manitoba. Call 204.638.5102 BOOK ONLINE canwayinnandsuites.com Canway Inn and Suites is the ideal place to stay during your visit to the exciting city of Dauphin. Whether your stay with us is for business, to attend a conference or a family getaway, our full service hotel has all the amenities & comforts of home. Let our proud and talented team of employees take care of all your needs, we are confident our quality accommodations, banquet & meeting rooms and indoor pool will meet & exceed your expectations. I t's a friendly little coffee shop in a funky old red brick building, featuring a decor that co- owner Claudia Keating describes as "cool but cozy." Like its name, the coffee shop is a nod to the farm family that started it, and to the community it serves. "We're very aware that the atmosphere is so im- portant, so we made it really "urban farm," a rustic decor, and we even included barnboard from our farm, scoops from an old grain elevator, things like that," says Keating. "People always tell us that the colours are warm and inviting, and that it doesn't look like every other place." The Keatings are a family with roots in the region — and some from far away. "My husband, Mark, was born and raised here — we own this business together — and I came with my family when I was 13, from Salzburg, Austria in 1980 to this region, to the town of Inglis which is just north of here," says Keating. She moved away for school, then returned to the area, met Mark, and the two settled down right away. That was three daughters and almost 23 years ago. They live on the family farm where Mark grew up. Open since 2013, Bin 22 is a family affair. "Our daughters are, oldest to youngest, Astrid, An- gela and Marina, and all three work here and help us with managing it, advertising and deciding what we should do next and so on," she says. The Keatings have roots, but they also have wings, and the inspiration for their shop came from their travel adventures. "Mark and I travel a fair amount and we love find- ing little coffee shops that have a good atmosphere and that serve a good cup of coffee," says Keating. It was something they were missing in Russell. "We were looking for a way to contribute to the community because we're very aware that small towns need to offer something if they are to stay viable," she says. They bought the red brick building at 202 Main St., renovated with an apartment upstairs and a store- front for Mark's niece — Jessica Keating, who runs Hometown Glory clothing boutique — and "con- tracted" the 202 down to 22 for the name of the shop. "We're just so proud of how it all turned out, and we've added two businesses to the community, which in a small town like Russell with only 1,600 or 1,700 people is a big deal." The building itself is old, although not designated as historic. It housed several banks and still has three vaults in it, one on the main floor and two in the basement. "We can't really do much with the ones in the base- ment because they are just huge concrete, but we util- ize the one upstairs as a bit of a private meeting room." With a building to offer as a place to meet and socialize, they wanted what they serve to meet their high standards. "The coffee needs to be just excellent, so I went to Toronto to get training on how to make it properly, then I taught the staff (two full time and three casual) and now they all outdo me!" Keating says. "We're told by people again and again, well-trav- elled people, that it's some of the best coffee they've ever had." Fresh roasted beans come from Winnipeg and they're ground as needed for the espresso machine. The menu features an assortment of goodies. "We serve some nice desserts, muffins and crois- sants, pizza croissants and ham and cheese biscuits," she says. "We also have samosas, and veggie sticks, ... you can get enough to keep you going for a while." Keating says they keep their service standards warm and friendly, and they offer free wi-fi, so people can study or get a little work done. "It's been a big but pleasant surprise to us how many people we have met from all over the world — South Africa and Australia, New Zealand — they come from everywhere! "We've made some new friends and met so many wonderful people that we never would have run into otherwise, so we just love this." ■ Drop by or visit the Keatings online at bin22coffee.com. Giant metal grain bins rise up from the fields of Manitoba's flatlands — a proud symbol of Canadian farms and the beautiful bounty they produce. On Main Street in Russell, there is another "bin" — known as Bin 22 — that houses not grains, but beans ... coffee beans. "We're very aware that the atmosphere is so important, so we made it really "urban farm," a rustic decor, and we even included barnboard from our farm, scoops from an old grain elevator, things like that." Guests can warm up, or chill out, with enticing treats. Photos courtesy of Bin 22 BY WENDY KING

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