May 17, 2009 — Saturday when the passengers of Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas Cruise Ship visited Frederiksted, they were greeted by a friendly face and a wagging tail.
Across the street from the pier on the first block of the Strand, Polly, a 4-year-old bulldog, waited on a leash in front of the coffee house that bears her name and her image. And to the tourists who came pouring off the ship to see the tropical island, Polly was a hit.
"Everybody wanted to have their picture taken with her," says Seth Wilcoxon, co-owner of both Polly and Polly's. "She was the most photographed thing on the island that day — forget the ruins and the beaches."
Wilcoxon and his partner, Steve Schawl, opened Polly's at the Pier five weeks ago, and business has far outstripped their wildest hopes, they say. The huge crowd Saturday was icing on the cake.
"It's already exceeded our expectations," Seth says. "We've already met goals we'd set for the future in the first five weeks."
Both men know that for Polly's to succeed it has to be based on building a local clientèle. The hordes that come from a tourist ship are a terrific bonus, but the day-to-day business has to be based on locals. That's been their goal since they started.
The idea for Polly's grew. And grew. At first it was going to be a coffeehouse, because Steve is a connoisseur of coffee. Moving to St. Croix two years ago, he loved island life, but couldn't find a cup of coffee that met his exacting standards.
That was the start, and now Steve proudly says that his is the best coffee on the island.
"No question," he says.
His beans are roasted by a master and sent to him by overnight express so they'll be optimally fresh.
"I'll throw my beans away before I'd ever serve them when they're past their freshness," he says.
Now people drive over from Christiansted for a cup of coffee at Polly's, he says.
But coffee is just where it starts. While they wanted to fill a niche in Frederiksted, they had a very clear idea of the kind of business they wanted to run.
"We wanted to create an environment — and I think we've achieved it — where people come in and want to stay," Steve says. "It's a happy vibe."
While it started with the pursuit of the perfect cup of coffee, Polly's doesn't end there, by any means. Basically they've added what they wanted to offer and what they thought their customers would want. And it's worked.
Along with a full variety of coffee drinks, Polly's also sells smoothies; Armstrong ice cream; gourmet teas; breakfast bagels and muffins; a lunch menu that includes wraps, salads, homemade veggie burgers and gourmet grilled-cheese sandwiches; and cocktails and beer, including beginning this week locally made microbrew beer. There are three computer stations that can be used for a slight fee, and Wi-Fi connections for use by customers.
On Saturday, Steve says, the courtyard behind Polly's was crowded with members of the Royal Caribbean crew drinking their lattes and smoothies and pounding away on their laptop keyboards.
Everything is kept simple. They're not trying to be the biggest, fanciest or best restaurant in St. Croix. There trying to be a place where people can come and spend a few minutes or a few hours and feel like they're at home. Steve and Seth certainly are. The one price of success, they both say ruefully, is that they're constantly at work, running an errand for work, or at home thinking about work.
"This is our home now, for sure," Steve says. "We're down here 14 hours a day, seven days a week."
Polly's at the Pier is an open, airy place, its bright blue walls covered with the work of local artists. That local connection is important to both partners. Wherever possible they use local suppliers, from the ice cream to the artisan bread for their grilled-cheese sandwiches to the muffins to the art on the walls.
They're also staying connected with the community — both with their customers, who can keep up to date with happenings at Polly's through an email newsletter, and local causes. The first of these will take place May 28. Polly's, in conjunction with Project Safe Haven and VICARE, will hold a cocktail reception to raise money to send an HIV-positive youth from the Virgin Islands to Camp Safe Haven at Martha's Vineyard. There will be live music, light fare and a cash bar in exchange for a donation of $20 at the door.
Polly's has gotten off to a great start, but neither Steve nor Seth think they're done by a long shot. They hope to keep the momentum built in the first five weeks and continue changes to meet the needs of their clientèle and the community.
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