I haven’t given a lot of thought to the food side of the business yet … unlike the barista skills, preparing and serving food seemed more familiar to me so I had been focusing on the coffee. But I know that I’ll be serving baked goods, snacks, ice cream, and simple meals, so I have budgeted space and capital to set up a proper kitchen. I hadn’t planned on a baker’s oven, but Jenny mentioned a couple of models that are reasonably sized, and priced, and after a few minutes with a calculator it was clear to both of us that this was an investment worth making.

It didn’t take long for me to realize that this was a fantastic opportunity for me. Although on the one hand she would, like me, primarily be working during the hours when the kids are at school, that would allow both of us to have some flexibility when it comes to sick kids, teacher meetings, class performances, and all the other things that go along with having children in primary school.

She’s still busy unpacking from the move, so my suggestion that she wait for a couple of weeks before she starts work was a welcome one. But during that time she assured me that she’ll start drawing up a potential menu of muffins, cookies, and other baked goods for my approval … and she’ll bring some to the store next week for me to sample. I can’t wait!

I got down from my ladder, hurried over to the door, and opened it (a little ungraciously) with a “Yes?” Imagine my surprise when I saw Jenny, an old friend from college that I haven’t been in touch with for years. She explained that she and here husband recently moved to town following a promotion, and she was wandering around to get a sense of what the town was like. She saw the sign for a new coffee shop and then spotted my name at the bottom, so she decided to knock and see if I was the Andrea she knew way back when.

Of course, I asked her in for coffee (thanks Gunther, the Starship EspressoPrise is still working great) and we talked for about an hour and caught up on our lives. Like me, she has two kids, and the youngest one just started school so she’s in a new town with time on her hands.

Since we last saw each other she’s mainly been at home looking after the kids, since her husband’s work as an engineer has meant several moves in only a few years. But the one constant for all that time has been a small side business of making muffins. She always was a terrific baker, and in each town they lived in she’s been able to find coffee shops and restaurants willing to buy however many muffins she could make for them. But, she said, she’d like to find something a little more permanent now that the kids are in school … would I maybe be hiring for my new store?

Now this whole project is becoming real. The machine itself is a beauty … sleek, almost industrial looking, with some pretty serious capabilities! The purchase comes complete with a training session so that I can learn all the bells and whistles of how it works, and how best to tweak it to my taste.

One of the more important aspects for me was to find a machine that’s as quiet as possible. Why? Well, one of the goals I have with this coffee shop is to create a performance space for local musicians. I’ve played guitar and sung for many years (no, I won’t be performing myself, my performances are strictly for the shower thank you very much) and have always liked to support up-and-coming musicians. When I was in college I was a regular customer at a coffee shop that had an open mic three times a week, and I’m looking forward to creating a similar space here.

I’m not rushing into the performance part of the business yet. I’m going to get the shop established first and make sure we have a solid base of regulars who can spread the word about performances before they start. After all, if the coffee isn’t good, in the long run it won’t matter whether the music is good or not!

The guy just arrived to finish setting up the machine, and to teach me how to use it. I’ll report back how it went and to let you know how my first capuccino tasted!

I’m excited to start writing for a broader audience … I’ve always kept a journal, but haven’t ever written for anyone beyond myself. So I’m not clear yet how much I’m going to reveal on this blog about people, places, or anything else that would make someone recognize themselves and feel uncomfortable. OK, disclosure over.

I’m a thirty-something divorced mom of two adorable kids. We live in the Northern part of California, and I’m currently in the process of beginning yet another reinvention of myself. For several years I used to work as a fundraiser for a small not-for-profit organization, and for a while after that I stayed at home while my children were little.

But just recently I’ve made the decision to open a small coffee shop in the center of the town where I live, and I think this blog will be, in part, a place where I can let off a little steam and do some in-the-open brainstorming about running a small business.

We’ve lived here for two years now, and I’ve grown to know the community pretty well. Like almost every town we have a couple of chain coffee stores, and there is also a diner that serves coffee … but we don’t yet have an independent gourmet coffee store with some local character. And that’s the gap in the market that I hope to fill.

I hope I’m not going to lose my shirt on this!