Today we’d like to introduce you to Bryan & Judy Lee & Werckle.
Hi Bryan & Judy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Bryan fell in love with coffee about 17 years ago. While working in the world of youth ministry, he found ways to explore coffee (setting up a pour over cart, assisting high schoolers open a cafe for occupational skill building, creating a coffee menu for an opening bakery, training with Counter Culture Coffee, etc). Judy (myself) was off traveling the world, assisting humans on their personal journeys and exploring different forms of community that exist. When we met, we knew we would eventually open a coffee shop. Two years later with career shifts happening for the both of us, we looked at each other and said, “maybe now is the time for the coffee shop.” We started doing pop-ups with an adorable custom mobile trailer, while keeping our day jobs. In order to move toward taking the business full-time, we explored every avenue of what that could look like (trailer or not). Thanks to a friend’s suggestion, we seriously considered the current Willow House space. When we first toured the property, we knew we had to say yes. From there on out, the humans who were involved in the process of renting, build out, to opening our doors have felt nothing but aligned and supportive. Thanks to them and those who have been willing to come spend time with us in our new shop, we are here!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Definitely not. There have been a lot of learning curves and “finding out the hard way”. Thankfully, we have had a lot of support from friends and family, sharing advice or knowledge from their areas of expertise. A mobile business is not for the faint of heart. Much of your time is spent loading, setting up and unloading. It’s long hours, as well as physically and mentally demanding. On top of raising 3 kids, we were tired quick! Our free time has often been spent doing behind the scenes admin work or having conversation related to the business. As we dove into building out our first shop, there’s been greater increase in demand for decision making and putting intention behind every part of what we were creating. This is a dream and vision that is not only important to us, but we feel is necessary for the world. The hard work is worth it!
As you know, we’re big fans of Willow House . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We are a coffee shop with the intention to create community. Our coffee is fine tuned and intentionally made. The beans are currently roasted off site but will be roasted in house later this year. We hope to invite others in learning around coffee and the journey it can take them on. We want our space to feel warm and welcoming, supportive and connecting. Everyone needs a safe place to land. Our practice of finding the ebb and flow in life is much like the Willow Tree. The Willow tree symbolizes resilience, adaptability, a safe haven and shelter. A place where people gather. In our love for nature and life, we work hard to give back and reduce our foot print by using compostable products and natural ingredients everywhere we can. Many of our drinks are a custom cup by cup creation using fresh, real ingredients like Thyme, Sage, pure juice or fruit. We hope you feel the quality and intention of our business when you step through our doors.
What makes you happy?
We enjoy seeing customers stop and pause, whether it be through the conversation we invite them into, sips of their drink or taking in what the space has to offer. Living in such a fast paced world, most of us let the world pass us by without feeling present to it. We don’t truly check in with ourselves or fully listen to those who we are talking to. It’s a lot of tasks, mental busy-ness and less meaningful connection. We believe presence is life-giving!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://willowhousecoffee.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willowhousecoffee/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/willowhousecoffee/
