In this story
A hometown story made for everyday use
Before the hometown mug collection grew across Illinois and beyond, there was Plainfield. Ashley grew up here, so the artwork carries a personal understanding of the community as well as careful research into the places residents recognize.
Krema Coffee House gave the finished mug a home in downtown Plainfield. The collaboration connected Ashley’s hand-drawn process with a local coffee shop where neighbors already gather, turning the mug into an everyday keepsake rather than a generic souvenir.
Why the collaboration matters
A hometown mug works best when it is specific. The goal is not to fit every town into the same template, but to notice the details that make Plainfield recognizable to the people who live there.
Krema’s connection to its customers gave the project a natural local home. Coffee shops are part of people’s routines, and a mug can carry that feeling into the quiet first cup of the day.
How the artwork was created
Ashley researched local places, drew each element by hand, and arranged the individual studies into a wraparound composition. The process takes time because every line belongs to a real community.
Where to find The Plainfield Mug
The mug is primarily available at the Plainfield Krema Coffee location while supplies last. If you are not local, consider asking a friend or family member to pick one up and ship it to you.
Visit The Plainfield Mug page for the shop address, directions, and current details
In the news
The Herald-News shared Ashley’s path from Plainfield artist to creator of community mugs, while Patch explored how designing the mug connected her life in Canada back to her hometown.
A gift idea with a real place behind it
The family connection in this story makes Historic Downtown Plainfield and Plainfield Halfway House more than a checklist of landmarks. If you are giving the mug to a relative or an old friend, name the particular memory that brought you to Plainfield. That note can make a practical gift feel unmistakably theirs.
The shop and the coffee
Krema describes itself as a small-batch coffee roaster and says its baked goods are made on site. Ashley’s Plainfield Mug began as a hometown passion project and found its local home with Kacie and the Krema team. A bag of Krema coffee with the mug makes the connection between artist, shop, and hometown tangible. Read Krema Coffee Roasters’s own story for its current coffee offerings.
Ashley Ann
