When Christin Cilento and Tara Laatsch met at their daughter’s school playground years ago, neither of them could have imagined a world in which they would become business partners in a ‘cost-saving coaster’ company.
But CityTins is WAY more than that; it’s a real opportunity to make a difference in local communities. Inside a tin, you’ll find more than 20 coasters that get you $10 off at each participating restaurant.
So, how did CityTins come to be? What did it take to grow their company from the playground swings to their Texas expansion?
You’ll find out by reading our Q&A with the founders below!
How did City Tins get its start? Where did the idea come from?
CityTins was hatched on a playground as a fundraising idea for our oldest daughters who met in kindergarten. It turned into a full-time business in eight cities, four states and counting.
What is your background?
Tara was a seasoned project manager taking time off to raise her family and Christin had a marketing agency specializing in brand development.
How long have you been in business? Have you faced any major challenges with growing your business or any triumph stories?
We began in the Great Recession of 2009 when locally-owned and operated, mom and pop small businesses were going under due to a heavy influx of big box retailers.
The “Live Local” message was not a widely-known concept, but CityTins aimed at supporting small businesses by championing this message in the form of a retail product.
There are two top-of-mind challenges CityTins struggles with: One is universal, the other is niche specific. Broadly speaking, CityTins was created and built with the potential to scale.
As two women who have done this on our own for so long, aided by some trusted seasonal subcontractors, we have struggled to proactively seek out expansion. We have finally overcome that challenge with our launch in Texas.
The other challenge is explaining to people that we do not sell “just coasters,” but that every coaster is worth $10 off your tab, and that CityTins are not just Christmas gifts but perfect for all occasions, from corporate gifting (yes, we offer reduced rates for larger quantities), closing gifts, Valentine’s Day, birthdays, and the list goes on.
Lastly, did we mention that the pandemic was a challenge, specifically to the service industry with all restaurants closing shortly after the release of our 2020 Edition? Yes, that happened. We are so proud to have survived and can continue to support independent restaurants again.
What is City Tins, and why did you feel it would be a good fit in Milwaukee?
What you’re getting in each CityTin is essentially a curated list of the great independently owned restaurants in the area.
Each CityTin houses 20+ coaster gift cards, each worth $10 off your tab at the locally owned restaurants featured on the coasters. The tin is a $200+ value and retails for $30.
Milwaukee was a natural fit for us as Christin grew up here and Tara moved here for college and never left; it was the perfect mid-tier city to pilot our program, with outstanding restaurants that deserved to be highlighted in a new way.
At the time, there were so many hidden gems, like Tess on the East Side, and Lowlands was making its debut with the flagship Downer Ave. Cafe Hollander. Then you sprinkle in Dan Van Rite leading Hinterland in the Third Ward and women-owned staples like LuLu, Juniper61 and Meritage.
It was the perfect blend for all palettes, price points, and flavors across the city. Sixteen years later, we have broadened our reach across Wisconsin with tins in Lake Country, Madison, Ozaukee County and the Fox Cities. And our out-of-state tins include the Twin Cities, MN, Rockford, IL, and Dallas, TX.
What’s the mission behind City Tins?
The mission of CityTins is to support locally-owned and operated businesses, while keeping Milwaukeeans’ hard-earned money in the communities where we eat, work and play.
There is a lot of competition and chains vying for our dollars and your choice to support local matters. The restaurants in our tins may be popular and busy, but that level of favor needs to be consistent year-round for them to stay open and thrive. Many customers report finding their new favorite date night spot while others admit, “I forgot how much I loved that restaurant; it’s been so long.”
What is it like being a small business in MKE? If you’re a woman, minority, or LGBTQ+ owned business, please feel free to touch on your experiences as an entrepreneur in that space as well.
We are so proud to be a woman-owned small business supporting other small businesses throughout Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, and now Texas!
In the last five years, we’ve been able to highlight Milwaukee’s diversity by producing iterations of tins that feature only minority-owned restaurants and diverse cuisines. Additionally, this year’s Milwaukee tin also heavily features women-owned venues.
What do you like about being in Milwaukee?
Milwaukee is the perfect size to support culinary genius and give space for newness, while being small enough that it is easy to navigate anywhere in the city without bumper to bumper traffic.
What has been particularly fun for me, Christin, is watching my two older children want to stay in Milwaukee when they could have gone anywhere, attend UWM and love going out downtown. They reinvigorate me with a love and appreciation for our city.
What’s your favorite part about what you’re doing?
We have donated more than $500,000 back into the communities we serve through fundraisers and in-kind donations. We work hard, and our company has also given us the flexibility to be present with our families.
We mentor people who ask, go above and beyond for our customers and put ourselves out there to accommodate as many fundraisers as humanly possible to help the most schools and nonprofits meet their goals, all while supporting the “Live Local, Dine Local” message for our business partners.
What can people expect when ordering and receiving their City Tins?
It’s a gift for yourself or others that is always in good taste. Every tin has more than $200 of food and drink with each coaster acting as a $10 gift card at a local restaurant.
When you open a CityTin, the coveted Dinner Spinner sits on top to end the age-old dilemma of where to eat – and it never lands on a bad spot!
It used to bother us that people referenced giving CityTins as a white elephant gift because it is such a cool and thoughtful gift, not something random or funny.
But upon reflection, yes! It is the perfect white elephant gift because it has tremendous value at such a reasonable price point, it is a one-size-fits-all gift that is always well received, and it brings anyone and everyone together, building community around the dinner table.
What have been some of your favorite collaborations? How do you pick the artwork on them?
The collaborations are super fun for us. Christin has created the cover art for all tins, all these years, featuring colors and landmarks that are like a time capsule for the year it is released.
Recently, we have invited others to submit their art for consideration or have featured public murals, like Brad Anthony Bernard’s historic masterpiece on Walnut Street.
This year’s Milwaukee CityTin collab, however, might just be our favorite. It hits on all cylinders. Food writer Lori Fredrich curated the tin, featuring predominantly women-owned restaurants, while the genius of Milwaukee-based visual artist and muralist Emma Daisy graces one of our favorite covers of all time.
Bonus: The Emma Daisy mural featured is on permanent display in Kristyn O’Laughlin’s tour de force, Margaux Brasserie.
Anything else we should know about your business or anything you’d like to mention? Any favorite stories?
We have immense gratitude for the reception of CityTins across Milwaukee and Wisconsin. Our latest launch has immediate ties to Milwaukee, with such a cool backstory that brings us full circle.
About a year ago, Tara happened upon a LinkedIn post by Joe Sorge. Joe and Angie Sorge are the former restaurateurs of A.J. Bombers fame. After appearing on Food Wars, with an insane Twitter presence, they proceeded to open the rest of what eventually became Hospitality Democracy, including Onesto, Water Buffalo, Holey Moley, Smoke Shack, and Swig.
We had featured one or all of their venues in our CityTins since year one, so we reached out to see if they’d like to partner with us to curate a Dallas CityTin. And that they did, even citing they had desired to work with us again and bring our live local gift to Texas and beyond. And just like that … our next chapter begins.