Tonight's the night!
by St. Johns Coffee
We're very excited about tonight's reception for Jeanne Levasseur. If you haven't had the opportunity to see her beautiful landscapes, do yourself a favor and stop by the shop tonight between 6 - 9 pm. Have a glass of sangria, a snack, view her work and meet Jeanne. Her paintings are truly stunning.
The last event we hosted had a fantastic turnout and was great fun for everyone. Please make plans to come by tonight.
In the world of coffee... we received a shipment of coffee yesterday. Nothing radically different, mainly just replenishing the staples but rest assured, the much coveted Guatemala Finca Bourbon will be available for a while.
We also received our shipment of logo coffee mugs and I must say, I'm pretty pleased. It's a beautiful two-tone mug with our logo prominently displayed. A perfect size for a cup of coffee, a latte or mocha. They're available for purchase for $8.50 each
On a humorous note, my youngest son who is 17, has been in Austin, Texas for the past five weeks attending a dance program at Ballet Austin. The week before the Fourth of July, he called and said the dorm coffee, "just wasn't doing it for him" and asked if I'd send him some.
I put together a sampling of 3 - 8oz. bags along with a pour-over cone and 40 filters and shipped it off to him. He received it on July 6th. On about July 9th, I received a text from him stating his coffee supply was running low and asked if I'd send more coffee and filters.
I couldn't believe this! He'd only had it about 3 days and had already gone through 1 1/2 pounds? So I asked him about it. He told me the other students in his dorm had found out about his coffee and had been purchasing cups from him. A proud papa moment. :)
And, as some of you may have noticed, we resolved our outdoor seating issue with more tables and chairs. Stop by and give them a try. This is a beautiful time of year to be able to sit outside.
Tomorrow is St. Johns Art Constitutional. The Constitutional Art Party is an interactive event offering a distinct combination of artworks, demonstrations, hands-on art making, and performances. The goal is to introduce new and upcoming artists to the community, expand awareness of the existing St. Johns art community and compliment the diverse businesses in vibrant St. Johns.
Check it out along with the St. Johns Farmers Market. 'Tis the season for fresh fruit and produce and now you can also check out some great arts and crafts. As a result of this event, Leavitt Ave. (in front of our shop), will be closed.
I had an interesting chat with the contractor whose company did the work on my space this past year. He told me when I got ready to open my second location, I should consider adding a "drive-through".
He went on to say that his company has recently been doing a lot of drive-through remodels for a certain large corporate coffee company and they were integrating a new system by which the consumer, rather than reading a menu and speaking into a "black box" to place their order, actually were presented with a video image of the barista on a flat screen monitor and would place their order directly with them.
I realize this probably makes me seem very old but eek. That seems like something from the Jetsons! That said, many of you are aware of all the pending developments within a 3 block radius of our shop.
Progress always comes with a cost and while from a business perspective, I'm sure it will all be very beneficial. My hope is that the character of St. Johns will hold steadfast. I learned a long time ago to "never say never" and I'm not going to start now.
However, I will pledge to you that at St. Johns Coffee Roasters, we will always be about great coffee and great connections with our customers. And I seriously don't ever foresee the day when we implement video feeds of our baristas taking orders. At least not 'til I'm dead and gone.
Many many thanks as always. Please help us give Jeanne Levasseur a warm reception tonight from 6 - 9 pm. If it's half as fun as last time, I'll be a happy camper.
Best Regards,
Mount & Crew