This was another instance where the universe opened up and swallowed me into an unbelievable opportunity.

The pop up at Camelback Flowershop was a really fun experiment and all began when I met my friend Richard there for a photo shoot he was working. The shoot was for a spread and cover in AZ Lifestyle Magazine on Teresa Wilson and her flower shop. The space is breath taking and Teresa is a doll! I spotted an empty corner behind the garage door and it just so happened to have a nespresso machine sitting there. When the shoot wrapped up I asked Teresa if she wanted to upgrade her coffee situation and we set up a meeting.

I came to the meeting with Nela and the coffee cart in hand. I asked Teresa if I could make her and her employees drinks from the cart and she was totally into it. After I handed a cappuccino to Teresa, she looked up and said, "that is the best cup of coffee I have ever had" and then the cart stayed there for two months. I decided to have the cart operating monday-friday from 10am-2pm. Pretty tough hours for people to get to, but I had to have a balance of convenient for me as the operator, while having time to work on other projects, and serving visitors amazing drinks.

I really enjoyed having a creative outlet where I could bring in coffee from all over and prepare them the way I felt was best for people who came for a great experience. However, it really opened my eyes and reminded me what a risk opening a cafe is. Even though I have a good reputation and following in Phoenix for coffee, I never felt as though I was very busy and/or profitable. I thought that even if I had the money, time, and know how of how to create a gorgeous space like the flowershop in such a sweet location and had this kind of turn out that I would be scared shitless.

Getting to work with Teresa at the flowershop was amazing. I didn't realize how you could get into flowers like you could with coffee. There are so many different plants and ways to arrange them and I started to see the parallel between flower shops and coffee shops. Teresa is a really good example of a successful business owner to me. She has her concept figured out, the people working for her are considered family and appear to be so harmonious, and she keeps pushing to get better. Somehow she finds time to be a mother of two boys, socialize, and enjoy herself. Watching her waltz into and around the shop, work with her employees, make her coffee, chat, and play with the kids was an absolute pleasure. But, it was time to wrap it up and begin to focus on Coffee Scene!

Photo by Richard Douglas for AZ Lifestyle Magazine

The Coffee Chop

Journal

Chop-up at Camelback Flowershop