Today we’d like to introduce you to Brent and April Anderson.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
We moved to Senoia a little over 9 years ago to lead a local church. We almost instantly fell in love with this quaint town and its citizens. We got the sense that Senoia was “Home.” Being coffee enthusiasts we looked for a place to find good coffee and opportunities to enjoy our neighbors. Senoia Coffee & Café quickly became our place of choice. Through the years we developed a relationship with the staff and owners of the café while regularly dreaming that one day we could have a place like it of our own. We would send little hints here and there to the owners about our entrepreneurial interest just in case they had thought about selling. Finally, at the beginning of 2015, the conversation about a potential purchase got some traction. The next thing we know, Brent is working “undercover” for the previous owner, while we negotiated the purchase of the café. The purchase was finalized in December 2015 and our first day of business as new café owners was on January 1, 2016.
Our passion for the café was built on the love for people and the desire to pursue them intentionally. What better way to do that than around good food and amazing coffee…? That said, you can’t survive in the retail/service industry with just a passion for people; you definitely have to provide consistent quality food and beverage. Not having an extensive food service background, we’ve definitely embraced the journey of learning how to provide quality food and service as an extension of our passion to pursue people. We are constantly looking for ways to keep our goods and services fresh and inviting in order to have the opportunity to connect with community neighbors and traveling visitors alike.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
We’ve had a few but overall have embraced them as learning/growing opportunities. First, we pretty much continued scheduling and operating the café like the previous owners who had other sources of sustainable income. We were hoping to survive financially from the success of the café. Although we see that as a feasible Long-term goal, it wasn’t the case in the first year. We were learning a lot about good business practices in the context of this small-town cafe and it took us some time to get the numbers in line. Six months into our ownership, brent had the opportunity to be the general manager for a local family entertainment business. Although, this opportunity brought a lot of challenges concerning our time and energy, it brought the gift of a steady income.
Additionally, remembering our passionate pursuit of people, we’ve experienced the hard work of developing and sustaining relationships with our team of employees. It’s always challenging to genuinely care for people while at the same time holding them accountable to expectations. We’ve had relative success on this front but it’s challenging when people move on for one reason or another.
Please tell us about Senoia Coffee & Café.
We are both a specialty coffee shop and full-service restaurant. We specialize in preparing locally roasted coffee in many forms to satisfy the tastes of our customers. This ranges from brewed coffees to various espresso drinks and blended ice drinks. We also provide a breakfast and lunch menu that has a wide variety. We serve locally baked bread and desserts as well. We also host different community and private events from time to time.
We are most proud of our hospitality and welcoming environment. We’ve heard it said countless times that there “is something special about what we do.” Again our passionate pursuit of people sets us apart from other cafés. So instead of being in the coffee and food business for business sake, we see the business as a vehicle to connect with our community.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Had a lot more money in the bank.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1 Main Street Senoia Ga. 30276
- Website: Senoiacoffeecafe.com
- Phone: 770-599-8000
- Email: Brent@senoiacoffeecafe.com
- Instagram: senoiacoffeecafe
- Facebook: Facebook.com/senoiacoffeecafe
- Twitter: Senoiascafe
Image Credit:
Alan Conlan
Alex Abraham
Emilee Abraham
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