Top of the Morning, May 24, 2024
May 24—Bellying up with ...
Twenty-five years into her bartending career, Stevie Coleman still shows shows up early for her shifts at Goldy's 2.0.
"If you know me, you know I can carry on a conversation with anyone. I enjoy chatting with everyone," Coleman said. "I tend to go in to work 15 minutes early for my shift so that I can walk around and chat with the patrons before my shift starts."
Coleman's hometown is Atwood, but she came to Champaign after college for the job market.
Bartending is just a part-time gig: Coleman is also a legal assistant at Heyl Royster and a mom.
"I enjoy spending time with my four boys and daughter-in-law when I am not working," she said, and any other downtime is reserved for reading or getting some sleep.
Coleman came to Goldy's when the Holiday Inn closed, and she needed a new part-time job, around six-and-a-half years ago.
"Best decision I ever made!"
She likes just about everything about Goldy's: the staff, the food, the space and the clientele.
"People should come to Goldy's because we are a family local bar, where everyone likes to get together and hang out at," Coleman said.
Coleman's favorite drink to make is a Malibu Splash and, now that it's getting hot outside, a blended margarita. Personally, she'll take a cold Bud Light.
Some of her favorite memories at Goldy's are helping out while the bar participates in motorcycle runs for charities. She also thinks back fondly to bonding with her coworkers when the pandemic made normal bar operations impossible.
"We sold dinners out of the kitchen to keep afloat. The staff would meet up at the bar to just get out of the house and be around one another," Coleman said.
