Before customers were bellying up to the bar at Rosel’s Recreation, they were buying food and necessities at the Equity Exchange. Now known as the Cottonwood Coffeehouse, the building at 108 N. Main in Lakin was built by E.A. Masterson and opened in 1920 as the Equity Exchange with the top story utilized as the American Legion Hall.
Masterson, a local cement man and contractor, kept busy in Lakin in the early 1900s. Not only was he was awarded contracts for putting in culverts, bridges, sidewalks and sewers; he also made cement blocks, created monument stones, and worked on homes and business buildings. In September of 1919, the announcement came that Masterson had the survey made for his 50×100 foot store building on Main Street. He started the foundation soon after.
The February 13, 1920 Independent revealed that “the walls of the E.A. Masterson store building were up to the height of a man’s head and work is being pushed forward as rapidly as possible.” Masterson had made splendid progress on the second story by the time May rolled around, and in June, the Equity Exchange moved their grocery store into “their new home, the Masterson building” and had a very up-to-date room supplied with splendid equipment and plenty of space to expand.
The Lakin Equity Exchange had been organized in late December of 1917 for the purpose of doing a general merchandise business and also buying and selling all farm products. In addition to running a store, the Exchange also had an elevator and coal yard. Stockholders were allowed to purchase no more than two shares of $100 each. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 1920, the gross amount of business tallied up to $76,682.56 with $10,000 worth of stock having been sold.
From fresh fruits and veggies to clothing and shoes, the Equity was generally hailed as a “one stop for all one’s needs.” In December of 1929, the Equity started a closing-out sale after stockholders decided to get out of the mercantile business. Goods were marked down considerably, with everything being sold for cash. The final day of business was Saturday, January 24 of 1930 when a public auction was held to sell the remaining items.
The building stood idle a little over a year until a billiard parlor and barber shop opened there, but Dean Recreation Hall was short-lived. In March of 1932, Fred Dean moved his pool tables and fixtures to Greensburg where he planned to open another pool hall. In January of 1934, brothers Mark and Dan O’Reilly brought in new equipment from Denver and opened the O’Reilly Pleasure Parlor. Six years later, the O’Reilly brothers made the move to Caddoa, Colorado where business was expected to be very good due to the number of men there working on the Caddoa dam (John Martin Dam).
Frank Rosel of Satanta purchased the Lakin billiard hall from the O’Reillys. Known affectionately by friends and family as Deacon or Deke, Rosel was a fixture on Lakin’s Main Street for decades. He was a longtime sports enthusiast and was particularly fond of baseball – he played, umpired and managed teams in Southwest Kansas and Lakin. Rosel was also instrumental in getting lights installed when the ball field was first constructed in Loucks Parks. He ran Rosel’s Recreation up until his unexpected death at the age of 84 from a heart attack in October of 1978. In a May 1979 article, Deke’s son announced that the pool hall would continue to operate in honor of his father. Since then, the building has not only housed pool halls and taverns but also a daycare, quilting shops, carpet store, antique store, eateries and more. To jog the memory, here are a few of those business names: Kisel Recreation, Green Gorilla, The Red Rooster, In Cahoots, Meraki, Wooden Spoon and Jacked Up Barbecue.
In 2021, Lakin High School alumn John White, and his wife, Jenny, opened the Cottonwood Coffeehouse at this location. The couple wanted a place in Lakin where people could gather and enjoy a “cuppa” something. They remodeled the 1920 building and offered up well-crafted drinks and fresh-baked pastries in a spacious but cozy setting. In 2024, Johnny and Enny Teichroeb took over the business. The menu at the local hot spot has expanded, and the Cottonwood’s locally roasted coffee is the perfect complement to their breakfast and lunch items. In addition to catering, the shop regularly offers special “themed” drinks, has hosted special events such as Pie Night, and is often used as a meeting place. Customers may not be able to “belly up to the bar” here anymore, but they can sure get their bellies full of excellent food and tasty beverages.
SOURCES: Facebook, Museum archives, and archives of the Advocate and Lakin Independent.