SPEAKER_00 0:00

What's going on, y'all? Sorry about that. I had to take a sip. I'm here at the coffee mug with the owner here, Susanna Salinas, uh chilling, lounging. I'm comfortable right now. This is an awesome spot. Uh taking Corpus Christi originals on the road. So welcome to the show, Susanna. How you doing?

SPEAKER_03 0:17

Good, good, I'm good, glad, happy that you're here.

SPEAKER_00 0:19

How do you like the new location?

SPEAKER_03 0:21

Oh man, it was a long time coming. Seven years of being open, and I'm glad to be back. Yeah, I really am.

SPEAKER_00 0:30

Really? Okay, okay. So seven years is being oh so okay. So you were here before. That's what yeah, I was. I was like, wait, like, were you out? But you were here before you went to the spot on Morgan, which everybody knows mostly.

SPEAKER_03 0:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 0:42

Right. Uh that's pretty interesting. So you were at the one on Morgan, which I live down the street from there, pass by there all the time.

SPEAKER_02 0:49

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 0:49

Um, so you started in 2018. That's very interesting. Okay, so first, so the people that don't might not know your shop or what you're doing here, can you would you like to like introduce yourself to them?

SPEAKER_03 0:58

Yes. Um it's the called the coffee mug. Um it's in it's it's Harry Potter themed, but it's more like an inspired by. Um, what I what I wanted was to have a shop basically, I didn't want Harry's face in everyone's face, you know. Oh like I just wanted something that like I used to think like, what would a shop in the wizarding world look like if there if it were like where all the houses could go hang out like after school or whatever, and that's why you see the different sections, you know, and you don't hear like Harry Potter music playing all day. Well, that just because it was we need a break, but it's just I wanted it to be like a hangout spot where you know the different houses could come under one roof, you know, one community. And um Harry Potter used to be my escape. And like this is you know, a story about a boy who uh had just not the greatest childhood, and he he meets and he sees a world that accepts him and was and you know that he is somebody, he he does feel like seen, and it's an escape from the reality that he lives in. And you know, I it resonated with me always because I didn't have the best childhood, and I needed that escape. And Harry Potter was that for me. So I thought I could be basic and open up like a regular basic coffee shop, or I can be not basic and do something different and a little weird and hope that people like the weird and embrace it and um allow it here in the community because you know, for the longest time, corpus does not do well with change. It really doesn't. And it it really was um it was a risk. Yeah, I like it.

SPEAKER_00 3:01

Yeah, that's cool. Man, how do you feel now that it's thriving? Like, I mean, it's tough right there. Like you it's that's like a step that a lot of people aren't willing to take, you know, that they're really to take, willing to take the the easy route, you know. I'm all how much time you got. Shh, we got time, let me know. Uh uh, so we uh uh Roger from uh he says hello from Chicago.

SPEAKER_03 3:22

I love Chicago.

SPEAKER_00 3:23

Camera right there.

SPEAKER_03 3:24

I went, sorry. Uh I've been to Chicago once, loved it. I I I need to go again. I need I need to, I need to was so cool.

SPEAKER_00 3:33

That's good. So you were there on uh you went vacation? You went you got family over there?

SPEAKER_03 3:37

We went like maybe a couple birthdays ago in November, and uh oh man, it was it was I don't know, like it was just so lively. I don't know how to explain it, like it was just such a vibe, and I I loved everything about it. Yeah, it was great.

SPEAKER_00 3:54

Yeah, that's cool. I uh go back to your shop because you're talking about how you instead of having Harry everywhere, Harry Potter, uh, you have like the the the room, like the different types of rooms and stuff like that. I like that that you like you wanted to imagine what it would be like in the actual wizarding world, yeah, which is cool.

SPEAKER_03 4:12

Yeah, I uh you know it was whenever we came over here, I felt like it was like a bigger challenge, you know, it was gonna be a bigger challenge because it's I mean, I went from 1600 square foot to almost 3,000 square foot.

SPEAKER_01 4:30

Whoa.

SPEAKER_03 4:31

And I was like, how am I gonna execute this? Right, but it actually worked out having um, you know, all the different houses, you know, like the different sections, you know what I mean? And all the little like knickknacks that like if you know you know type of thing.

SPEAKER_00 4:49

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, that's cool. And so you uh so you were it was kind of like geared toward the the Potterheads, I guess you can call them, or what do you call yeah, yeah, the Potter Heads? Yeah, that's cool. Like where this is the Slytherin uh slash Hufflepuff Hufflepuff house.

SPEAKER_03 5:04

Yeah, that's so cool, and then uh I've got Riffendor over there, Raven Call over there, and then upstairs is more of my little like um like like a little nod to to customers that have gifted me stuff over the years.

SPEAKER_00 5:20

That's so cool. Did you imagine it like this when you first started? Uh like what would it was it like this when you imagined it?

SPEAKER_03 5:28

Man, when I when I first started here up when I was just upstairs, it man, it was what it was a pipe dream. And it it really like it the opportunity presented itself and I was able to actually do it and you know get a place. Um that was that was that that getting to that point, I didn't think would ever happen. And I remember I I wanted to open up a coffee shop where I can make my own hours and be with my kids because you know they were so used to always having me around because I was a stay-at-home mom. Newly divorced, and not a lot of people would hire, you know, someone who hasn't worked for over eight years. Wow, and um fast forward to getting this place, and I had like no furniture in my house strictly just because I had it, whatever furniture I had there was furnished here. I mean, not because I was on a strict budget, as in like a dollar, like that's all I got to spend, and oh, I had I was living off of food stamps, welfare, and which I'm grateful for that. Like I'm very grateful that you know that that exists for for like single moms, you know, and just a two-bedroom apartment. And I remember I didn't even have a TV, and I had this little like Acer computer my daughter had. We just watched TV there, and um, and it was just I remember thinking, like, okay, I'm gonna do this. Am I mentally prepared to really like have the the energy to to do this, you know, while also being a parent and while also not really making a lot of money.

SPEAKER_00 7:15

Yeah, wow.

SPEAKER_03 7:16

So we got this place up and running and upstairs. It was there's like a chocolate shop downstairs. And I'll never forget it. It's crazy like being even back here because uh I remember my my kids um would stay at the like the bottom of the stairs, look out the window, and they'd be like, Oh, we got a customer, and I'd they would just be so excited, right? I'd be lucky if I even had one customer, you know, because no one knew I existed, right? It was just like really just a huge risk. And it took one girl, she made a post and it went viral. Wow, and that's why I love social media. I mean, yes, it could be used for evil, but there's also a lot of good with it, just if you know how to use it. And I remember being there at the shop by myself, and no one had been there, and my phone's blowing up and it goes viral. I'm like, oh, okay. And that's when more people started to show up, but it still wasn't decorated like this. I mean, when I say I had like and you know, looking back at it, other than like my logo, you really like could it really tell it was like a Harry Potter theme? Um, but um I was upstairs for three months, then I I go to Morgan, and I had already I had the momentum going of the viral post, and uh when we open up, and this lady reaches out to me. She goes, Hi, I know you don't know me. Uh, but I grew up in Nanaville. I work for CNN. Uh I think that's cool that you're doing something different in Corpus. I used to like think Corpus was so boring, and she's like, Can I interview you? So I she sends me all these questions and I email back, and I'm thinking, well, it could either be CNN or it's just some random person saying that's CNN, and I just told them all my life story, like whatever. And and it it I was really CNN and it took off. Wow, and I I had customers sending me like I think I I don't even remember where I have it. I know I printed it out, like a an article in Germany that was talking about my shop. Wow, and I'm just like, oh, okay. And that's where like it took off, but that's where it also people just started showing up with things, and they started to like, hey, you know, like uh, you know, I have all this like Harry Potter stuff, but you know, can I leave it here? So I thought that was really cool.

SPEAKER_00 9:58

Wow, that's dope, man. Community actually helping out, helping you out. Did you think it did you think like, did you really did you feel like alone at that at that one point where you're how how how do you make it through like that type of situation, not only by yourself, but knowing that you have two other kids, two kids that you have to help support, you know what I mean? That's that's tough.

SPEAKER_03 10:26

Being put in survival mode can really make you do like do crazy things, man. Like, and I um again, I I I just all I had was a high school diploma on me. You know, I didn't I didn't have the privilege of going to college or anything like that. Um my mom, she would help me sometimes. And you know, my you know, I'm I'm very I feel very blessed that my kids' dad is still very much involved in their lives, and you know, the weeks that they were with him, I would hustle, hustle, hustle. And um they spent their birthdays here and they're like just here at the shop helping me. And it was it was extremely lonely. Um at the time I was the only like Latina-owned like coffee shop, and I think I was the only, if I'm not mistaken, the only like woman-owned coffee shop.

SPEAKER_00 11:14

Yeah, wow.

SPEAKER_03 11:15

And so you don't really like I didn't really I I didn't really like know anybody, right? And then so I just had help of friends that happened to like be like, hey, I got you with this, or I'll help you with this. And um once I got opened up in Morgan, I was my only employee. And um I worked open to close, I did everything, and uh, I did social media, I still do it, but like I was my my own janitor, I was the only barista. Wow, and and I had to be a mom at the same time.

SPEAKER_00 11:58

Man, that's tough. You got finances, you got social media, you got all kinds of stuff on your plate. Yeah, that's tough. Man, did you did you learn that from your work ethic from your parents, like from your mother, or like what how how do you how do you learn how to be like that? You know what I mean? That always that question always comes into my mind when I see people go through that type of adversity, like how, like, what how are you like this? You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_03 12:23

Yeah, I I I know what it's like to grow up with not a lot of money, and I we I don't come from much, and my kids, I don't know, man. You become a parent and you're like, everything I've been through, like I never want you to even remotely just sort of know what I went through, and I I want you to know better. And I my my mentality was always I never like the mentality of, well, I suffered this, I went through this, so you need to know what that's like. It's like, no, I suffered this, I went through this. I never want you to know what that's like. I most definitely want you to always be better than me. I tell my kids all the time, I want you to be better than me. If you ever open up a business, I want to be super successful. You know, if you like whatever it is you want to do, always be better than me. And I'm not trying to like downplay myself, but I want my kids to always strive for more, keep striving for more. And for me, it was it was it's still that, like it's still very much like okay, what do I gotta do to like and that I think that, but that's also I think like my problem sometimes, because I don't ever just sit down and just take it all in. Uh, I don't just sit down and be like, oh shit. So very few times I do, and I'm like, I'll just be here and I'm like, oh damn. Oh shoot, I made this, like, this is cool.

unknown 13:52

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 13:53

Because I'm just like, I'm constantly thinking, like, okay, this worked out. What do I gotta do like for for the next month? And what do I do to make this better? How can I be better?

SPEAKER_02 14:00

And yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:01

I I I never just like sit down and take it all in. And the few times that I do, because you know, most I mean, I guess now people do, but for most people don't know I'm the owner, right? So I'll just be sitting here and I'm just like watching people like you know, chill out, like have a good time with the coffee.

SPEAKER_00 14:23

Yeah, yeah. What's that like? What's that like?

SPEAKER_03 14:26

Oh man, it's my favorite part. That's my favorite thing. I mean, I guess now people know right now I'm the owner, but I remember I used to sit down and I don't know why people assume that the owner's a guy, uh, or like or like I don't know what they expect, to be honest with you. So whenever I remember one time I was sitting there, uh drinking my coffee on my computer, and someone's like, Yeah, I went to school with the owner, man. Like, shit, it's like crazy. Yeah, we go way back, and I'm I've never seen this person in my life, bro. But this is interesting, no, for real, go for it. Like, keep talking. But no, I've I've seen people be like, Oh man, this place is great. This place is so cool. I bet you the owner, he he must love Harry Potter in a moment. I yeah, I do. Wow, that man. But it but I I will say though, I have gotten a lot of real honest reviews when I'm sitting here hearing people talk because I I a lot of my even a lot of my recipes have been changed strictly on like I hear people say something about it, I'm like, huh. And then I go back there, like I check it out, make it do something different. I'm like, I could see where that was, I could see how they thought that. Let me perfect that, let me make it better.

SPEAKER_00 15:48

Wow, so like so, in terms of like uh the character, because you're like, I'm drinking this is what is this, the Hufflepuff? The headwig. The headwig. Okay, so you're saying they they suggest like certain elements to put in there to make it seem like that character?

SPEAKER_03 16:03

Because sometimes they'll be like, they'll I I hear people be like, man, this is too sweet. Okay, or and then I'll you know, and I just listen to it, and or they'll just be like, you know, oh, you know, this is uh it just has way too much cinnamon, you know, or something like that. And then I go and see how they're doing it, and you know, but I I I liked it here because also like it is telling you, it really is nice. Like I don't sit here enough. I I sit down and I'm like, I people just enjoy it. Like, I don't think I'll ever get like used to people coming in like this, like wow, like you know, and I hear people, oh yeah, I like though to the breeze. I drove all the way from Brownsville, and space is so cool, and um and that I love that because I'm like sometimes I do need like the universe to be like, hey, calmada, you know, like look, you're good, why chill, dude? Like drink your coffee, breathe. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because I I I'm always like, I need to be better, I need to be better.

SPEAKER_00 17:09

Well, do you feel like you're hard on yourself?

SPEAKER_03 17:11

Oh, extremely hard, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:12

I mean, is that maybe part of your upbringing or maybe just how your mind is wired, or what do you I mean?

SPEAKER_03 17:17

To be honest with you, I I am I I I'm not uh at all embarrassed to say this, but ashamed to say this, but I I didn't hear a lot of I'm proud of you, you know. I didn't hear a lot of like this is great and you're doing great. And it was just, you know, now especially now that I'm a parent, you don't like I look back, I'm like, man, you know, sometimes your your your parents they're they're also in survival mode, you know. They're trying to also make sure that my mom just you know, I'm first generation. Oh wow, and I she just wanted to make sure we had a better life, you know. And with my kids, I'm always trying to be like very sure. I'm like, hey, you're doing great, babe, and this and that, but I didn't hear it, so I I get to the point sometimes where I I have to tell myself, dude, you're doing great, like chill. Wow, because but because like you know, you get to certain age, you certainly don't you can't teach an old dog any trick sometimes, so it's hard for me to really just sit back and be like, Okay, I did this. Yeah, very few times that has happened where I'm just like like damn, like I'm still here. Like I did this, and it was when we won the best of the best community choice last year, and it was just like, Oh, you like me? I'm I'm and it's not like I'm notorious for like you'll never see me like, hey guys, vote for me or vote for us. Like, I don't, I'm not really a competitive person at all. Like, I'm probably the worst person to play any game with.

SPEAKER_00 18:56

Did you learn that from your brothers? Or, like, I mean, no, they're competitive.

SPEAKER_03 19:00

Yeah, I'm not. I'm very like, oh dang, I didn't win.

SPEAKER_00 19:05

All right, well, well, see, I'm the middle child too, and I'm I'm the same way. Like, man, my dad was like astonished, like, where's Jess? Like, we would play basketball or whatever, and the game would be over, and they're like, Where's Jesse at? Oh, he's over there, yeah. He doesn't care if we lost or whatever. I mean, so is is that kind of what it was like in in yeah, I I've I've always been.

SPEAKER_03 19:24

I mean, as soon as I can get a job, I've I worked, right? I paid for my own car, my own cell phone, and like had a pager. Wow, crazy. Like, what's a 16-year-old doing the pager? I don't know. So you pay so you worked and worked for that stuff in the country. I've always been that way. And I don't know, like when when we won, it was strictly just because people genuinely liked it. And that that's always so gratifying to me because I'm like, I didn't ask you, I didn't like say free coffee if you vote for me. Like, no, it was like y'all went out of your way to vote for the coffee shop and say, we like it, we think it deserves to win.

SPEAKER_00 20:00

Wow. So you kind of like left it up to the the the the customers or your crowd or your tribe or what that's honestly what for me at the end of the day, like the way I've always looked at it is like if you're happy, then I'm doing then I'm doing good, then that means that this is gonna continue, you know.

SPEAKER_03 20:19

And I also like never respond to like our Google reviews. I think I did once just because it was like really funny, like there were the review, and I was like, Do you read them? I I do, I I read them, and it's usually like my husband's favorite review is this guy, he's like he gave me a one-star, it was like on the square, and he put was very disappointed because my date showed up and looked nothing like her picture. Oh, and I felt catfish or something like that. He's all but the coffee and brownie was good. Okay, I mean, yeah, dude, like how bad was it? You know, that he's got it, like it's a one-star because this chick catfish me. My husband just loves telling people that. Um, but I I take Google reviews, it's very it sucks because like I feel like we businesses we depend off of Google reviews, right? Like, we do need them because there's people who look at them, like, what are they saying about this before I even go? Yes, some people just use it as a platform to just be genuinely hateful, right? Right, just to be mean. And um the ones that like I do actually take into account are the ones that are like coffee shop was cool, atmosphere was great, felt like the coffee was too sugary, felt like it was too watery, felt like it was this and that. And then what I do is well, I don't respond, but what I do is I take that and I go and I see who was working or whatever, and I'm like, hey, make me that drink.

SPEAKER_00 21:52

Ah, I see where I see what they mean. Oh wow, so you do actually kind of yeah, and I take that very seriously.

SPEAKER_03 22:00

But this goes back to like if you're not happy, then that means this place doesn't succeed, right? And my kids don't get fed. Go, there's no roof over their head. So that's like how my brain is always like, yeah. And I'm trying to always, and and this goes back to like me not being competitive. Like, I just if another Harry Potter coffee shop opened, great, cool, let's be best friends because that's actually kind of cool. But that's about it. Like, I like great, you know, there's room enough for everyone. I need to make sure that customers are happy, baristas are taken care of, baristas are paid, bills are paid, rent is paid. Then eventually, if I'm lucky, I get paid. And um, if those things aren't running appropriately, then this place isn't running, then this place isn't going to feed my kids, isn't going to feed, put a roof over their head. And um, that's why I'm always just like, what do I gotta do? What you know, like, oh, we won? Great, thank you guys, because that that really does like oh okay. And I know for like the locals, this the band we've we're we've never won first, but we're always either second or third. Um shout out to my fellow competitors. It's always between me, Coffee Waves, and Island Joe's. Hey, hey, but it's that that's I I don't know. Sometimes I feel like I do tell myself you gotta chill, like you need to breathe a little bit. I'm like, or I can make a new drink or come to fix this and come fix that, and yeah, wow, so cool.

SPEAKER_00 23:39

Uh, what's up to Roger? Uh Ida, DJ Looking, Roger, uh Ben Delion. Thanks for joining the chat, you guys. Uh, appreciate y'all. Man, uh, this is so cool. So, you so obviously competitive, I could tell that now, but that's cool though. Like, um, I mean, some people are competitive or whatever, but like for me, the look because my podcast has been on the locals list a few times, not yeah, not winning. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Not winning, but on there. But after the first couple since I started, I was like, you know, I'm not even gonna mess with it because it gets in my head too. Like, oh, well, who's they're doing better than me, you know? And then I nah, I don't need that in my head. Do you want to know my greatest accomplishment?

SPEAKER_03 24:19

One of my greatest accomplishments in this shop, other than meeting my husband, and if he's why I didn't know this was gonna be live. Give him a shout out. Hell yeah. I don't know if he's babe. You're my greatest accomplishment. All right, but um getting recognized by Warner Brothers and getting a cease and assist from Warner Brothers.

SPEAKER_00 24:39

Oh, no kidding, yes.

SPEAKER_03 24:40

I was all like with the with the cease and assist, I was somewhere, I don't even remember the photo is, but like I get a cease and assist from Warner Brothers, and it's like early on, and my lawyer's like, so do what they say because they're like Danos, and as he sass, they can kill you like your whole dream, but um, he's all but take a picture with it because like how cool is that? Like, they know a little shop in Corpus Christi exists, and he's like, not necessarily they're seeing you as a threat, but they just know you exist, and that's that's that says it that means that's how far you've made it, yeah to where you're like their your radar, right?

SPEAKER_00 25:19

So you're talking about so that is that what is that the name change? Is that why you changed it? Okay, okay. So you should be a coffee muggle, coffee muggle, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 25:26

And you know, a lot of people were like, Oh, what's the what's the secret? Why did you change it? And I'm like, oh, because I don't want to get sued. I want to keep in my pocket, you know that and like because people feel and it was funny because before that I would get like people sending me articles. I'm like, Let's I don't know how to take this, but like they would send me articles like of people getting sued for opening up shops like Harry Potter theme, and they wouldn't say anything, they would just send like people I didn't even know send like articles. I'm like, Thanks, but even then, the I never had like his face everywhere, it was just called the coffee muggle, okay, right? But my lawyer's like, you know, look, you've established yourself enough to where like you you have a good crowd coming in, just drop the L E, right? Um, so that was it, that was the only deceased and desist, yeah. Really? And well, because he was like, Look, change the name because she so the JK Rowley, the the creator of Harry Potter, she owns the word muggle, right? So she any which way you want to write it, that's hers, right? It's a made, so it's her made up words. It's her made up word that she's got trademarked, and and then outside, because we had like iHeart Coffee, oh, yeah, yeah. Right. So it before it, because right now it's just like the blue with the lightning bolt, my logo, but it used to be a red heart with a deathly hallow symbol. Um, wow, so she also owns the rights to that symbol, so they're like, get rid of that. And my lawyer's like, Look, change the name. People can call it whatever they want. You just have to like legally drop that. Wow, and um be subtle with the names because she owns the word like Draco Malfoy. Wow, but she doesn't own the word Malfoy. So like I just became a little bit like more smart. Are you still conscious?

SPEAKER_00 27:18

So you're still conscious of that right now, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 27:20

Oh, I'm I'm constantly like, no, we can't, I'm not gonna name it this or can't name it that I have a team that I trust with my life, and I have a budget guy, which is my younger brother. Yeah, I have an HR girl, and that's my sister, and um I have a lawyer for pretty much everything. Cool, and these are people that I I call for for advice, and if they say no, then it's no. Wow, and because I don't know everything, and I will never say that I know everything, and I'm I'm constantly learning as I grow, and um I don't know much about certain things, but this person might, and they might their advice will help me grow right and progress. And so there's a lot of things that I I I'll I just take into consideration, but uh yeah, no, my lawyers like you know, just change it and uh I think people thought it was like this like I don't I don't know what they thought, everybody just always like, oh what's they wanted the like it would have been, yeah. Like and I'm like, yes, please. Um I'm like I'm like very metachia too, right? Like, I mean, as long as it's not my drama, right? So like I get it, like I get it, you know. Um, thank you. Um sorry, I gotta take a sip right now.

SPEAKER_00 28:46

Oh, good, all good. Thanks a lot for you guys for joining the chat. Man, this is awesome. I got drink here. Oh, I got the sticker, guys. Check it out. It's a dope sticker. She just put it out so here you can't really see it. Dope sticker. That's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_03 29:03

Probably should have used the coffee mug mug, but I yeah, no, it's all good. I got mine.

SPEAKER_00 29:07

Hey, so yeah, so I guess it's would you consider because obviously I'm into Harry Potter, I like all the movies. My favorite one out of all of them is uh Half Blood Prince. Okay, that's my favorite one. That's a good one. It's my favorite one. Uh, and then of course I'm into Marvel and all kinds of other stuff. Me too. So, would you say a lot of your crowd is those type of people?

SPEAKER_03 29:30

And yes, I love nerds, okay. Like, yeah, they want to yeah, I wanted you to say it first before I did. So I want you to get in trouble.

SPEAKER_00 29:39

I heard it from her first, from her mouth. You heard it, guys.

SPEAKER_03 29:42

She said it. Um, no, I it's funny because when when I first met my husband, like he his thing. Oh, first of all, this dude, like, bless his heart, but he didn't know anything about Harry Potter. And he's like, I just came for the vibes because your shop is cool, and it was like down the street from me. Um, but he he goes, when I put two and two together, he's like, Oh, this is a Harry Potter coffee shop. Like, truthfully, I don't know what people expect when they like see me. Um, I don't come off as someone. What do you mean? Like, I feel like there's and I how do I put this? Like, I feel like they maybe expect me to be like in a robe, like a Harry Potter robe or something all day.

SPEAKER_00 30:27

Okay, okay, okay.

SPEAKER_03 30:28

Or or what? I just like I meet people and they start like talking about, oh well, let's just say Game of Thrones, and they're like, Oh, well, I watched, I don't know if you watch that. Um all girl, I am team all of the teams, okay? Because I love every house differently in here in Game of Thrones, okay, because each one of them brings me something special. Um, but you know, and then I I could go down like this like huge, like I I if I could learn Dorthracky, I would okay. I don't know what use that would bring me, but I I would do people play do people play here, or I mean, like yeah, so we would get like Dungeons and Dragon stuff, and that I feel like that I could watch Dungeons and Dragons, right? Like in action, yeah, yeah, yeah. Could I play it? Probably not because the intensity of the people there again, back to me not being competitive. I'd be like, What? Look at my little monito, is it cute, right? And they'd be like, they wouldn't never ask me back, like they wouldn't, because I'd just be thinking this is fun.

SPEAKER_00 31:30

Shoot, I tried playing Pokemon with my brother one time, and I was so boring. And I was looking at the the paragraph that you had to read on the car, like, man, it's too much, bro. I mean, yeah, it's cool that what you're doing, bro. I appreciate it, it's awesome, man. But can we play Monopoly or something? No, for real.

SPEAKER_03 31:44

And even they with Monopoly, man. Like, I love my brother, but he's like, What do you mean you want to take my house? And it's like, nah, that's cool.

SPEAKER_00 31:54

That's cool that you have a place for for people like like uh like us, like nerds, you know what I mean, to come and and he's and outside it says safe space. So, what is what did it say on the sign? Safe space, or yeah, you know what to deal with that.

SPEAKER_03 32:06

What I really I'm telling you, like when I got divorced, it I had like you know, not a lot of friends. I I mean my whole life was just uh you know being a mom and my early 20s, just being a mom, and I started my 30s going through a divorce and trying to figure out how am I gonna make ends meet because I got two kids now, you know, and I I wanted I've always loved coffee and I wanted to create a space that like I can play emo music all day, and you know, no one's gonna like say anything, and in fact, they'll just appreciate it, or I can sit here and talk to someone about Game of Thrones or Harry Potter and or the Marvel films, and they'd chime in, and it's just like and that's happened before. I'll be back there making coffee. We talk about it, another customer comes in. Oh my god, I know. Did you see that episode? And it's just like I love that, and I wanted this place to be where because people come in dressed in cosplay just to literally chill and drink coffee. Wow, and I'm like, So cool. For me, that's what I mean when I say safe for many reasons. But one of them was like, you can come in here, be all decked out in whatever cosplay you want, and we will embrace it. In fact, let me take a picture with you because that's cool, and it's like the fact that this place is safe enough for someone not to be embarrassed by like being them and dressing like them. That that's that's definitely something that you know, but that I feel like people have really embraced, and you know, I love that.

SPEAKER_00 33:46

Yeah, did you experience that when you were, I guess when you were younger? And like where would you go? You know what I mean? Where would was there places for you to go in when you were younger, you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. Uh yeah, I think about that too. Like, I I my dad put me in sports like since since I was a kid, and then even at that, I would I learned how to play guitar. I like the music you came, the music you were listening to when I came in. I listened to that stuff, you know what I mean, in the 90s and grew up in the 90s, and it's pretty cool to have those types of spaces. And the more I do this, like this is like nerd stuff, but now it's like everybody wants to do it. But it's cool, yeah. It's cool now, you know what I mean? So it's pretty cool that that you can have that going. So we've been going for 34 minutes. Uh, is there anything you would like to mention or talk about?

SPEAKER_03 34:32

No, I feel like we've been kind of talking about everything.

SPEAKER_00 34:36

You want to keep talking? You want to keep going? Yeah, yeah. So uh, so so we talk about running a business, uh origin story. So the coffee mug experience. Uh, what's so what's the creative process behind uh drinks and menu items? Well, you had you had more on your menu, didn't you? I did. I did like chill out.

SPEAKER_03 34:54

Well, I just get like you get creative, you want to just like I had a few other drinks. I need I was like, man, I gotta chill out. I got like so many drinks, like even I was overall.

SPEAKER_00 35:07

So why okay, okay?

SPEAKER_03 35:08

Because you know, because well, again, like one thing about my shop, we ain't bougie, okay. We're not bougie. I I I can't, you know, but this could just be growing upie. Okay, this could just be growing up Mexican, right? But I'm like, do I need to spend all that money on it? Or is there like uh the off-brand? Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. And that's pretty much why like this whole shop is everything's refurbished, right? Um now it's uh but it's also like or gifted, right? Um, we're not, I don't know, I've never had like the bougie, like uh menu boards. I should, and I probably will, but um it's just I I like that everything is like uh refurbished and gifted, you know. After COVID, um you know, we were shut down during COVID. We were shut down for like a month, maybe. So I had to like open if I was able to open up again, that was hard.

SPEAKER_00 36:12

Wow, yeah, I was gonna ask you.

SPEAKER_03 36:13

Being closed for like, excuse me, that was hard being closed for um like a month uh mentally, and because you go from like riding this high, and in an instant, like a bulldozer just goes, dang, you know, and it could just be taken from you. And that was also humbling for me because you do ride this high whenever you're like, oh, this is going great, right? And then you don't you know you think that it's never gonna go away, you think it's always gonna like it's always gonna be this way, right?

SPEAKER_00 36:42

Right, right, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 36:42

And then the universe is like, sight, oh shoot, what are you gonna do now? I know, right? So that was um that was something for me that like I'm grateful that that happened. I'm glad that that happened, just like I'm glad that like I had to be thrown into survival mode after my divorce because it wouldn't have pushed me to like hustle right to where I am today, yeah. And um when that happened and I opened back up again, I had this like small little espresso machine. And tell me why when I turned it on, like just like burst into flames. Oh wow, yeah. And I'm all like, Well, that's not good. No, so I go on, I go on like Facebook Live and I'm like, I tell um tell the customer, like, hey guys, I really want it open again, but uh don't have a machine because it burst into flames.

SPEAKER_00 37:29

Oh, dude. So that's the moneymaker right there, right?

SPEAKER_03 37:32

It was. I was like, Well, I'm gonna need that. Um, so someone reaches out to me. She's like, Hey, he's like, Hey, um, I have a friend who has an espresso machine that they no longer have because they're their their machine, like they they had a restaurant, they ended up closing down, whatever. Put you in contact. All right. I hit them up, and you know, they're like, Here, you know, come you can come look at it, whatever. Okay. And then I go, I never assume anything's free. I will never assume anything's free. Okay. I always like to me, it's like how much, you know. Um, so I said, you know, to be honest with you, I told him I was I was very straightforward. I was like, to be honest with you, sir, like I this is the machine is in great shape, it's phenomenal. Um, how much, you know? And he's like, Look, I'm he thinking he's like a lawyer or something. He's like, Look, I'm hardly ever in town. Um, so when I'm in town, just could use a cappuccino every time I'm in town. I was like, no, but like how much? Like, I know, and he's like, No, that's it. Like, you don't gotta pay me nothing, just uh I just took cappuccino when I'm in town. Wow, and I was just like, damn. Um, so got the machine, it was bigger than what I had had, so it was like an even bigger blessing, too. Wow, and um got the machine, and I don't know, man. Like that, that like it it just stuck with me because I'm like, you know, you grow like how I grew up there, it was just I didn't grow up in the best neighborhood again, you know, in the greatest childhood, and it it really does, it's not kind of cliche, but it really does give you a whole different perspective on the on humanity when you've had a specific perspective your whole life, and I'm like, oh, good people exist, what where y'all at? Like, I didn't know this, and it's just like I so you mean that I you you you want to gift gift this to be and I don't know. I that it was like little things like that where I was just like man, I I think I think I am building a community shop. Wow, and literally everything has ever has been gifted, like here in the shop, almost everything.

SPEAKER_00 39:59

Yeah, man, that's so cool. Yeah, to to have that flip on you, like people actually do care because it seems like you're alone all the time. Like I I feel that too, like definitely. Like I need a hug sometimes, you know what I mean? Yeah, and I don't know, I don't know. I guess it's and I've mentioned this on my personal podcast where men like especially in our culture, stop crying, yeah, you know what I mean, like go through it, stop crying, but like no, like we actually need that that affection every now and then, you know what I mean, to to continue to go on. Yes, we we are meant to encourage ourselves, right? But at the same time, having encouragement from loved ones is is just as good, you know what I mean.

SPEAKER_03 40:44

It it I'm telling you, like well, some people don't realize like how this can mold your children like to be older, like it's benefited me, like unfortunately it's weird to say, but like not having that returns, not having that like oh I'm proud of you, benefited me in a way where I am more like hardcore, right? Right, right. I'm very like I could see right through, like I could read through the bullshit. My husband, he calls me like La Brujita, because sometimes I just be saying I'm like this person's gonna do this, this is that, and they're gonna do this. And he's like, How did you you know what? I don't even question it anymore. But but it also like affects you in a sense where you you really do feel like you're not good enough. Like you feel like, oh like I mean, sometimes like I even sit back and dude, doing this for seven years, you made it through COVID, you made it through a whole house construction, you're here, like you're good, like you know, and and it's not to say that I oh I get comfortable and this is gonna be easy peasy, but it it's like sometimes I have to remind myself, hey, you're not in the trenches anymore. How about that? Um, so that that's definitely something that like I try to like instill in my kids, yeah. Um where I'm like constantly like, you're doing great, you know, like oh, this is so cool, I'm so proud of you, you know. Because I don't ever want them to know that feeling as an adult, like I never heard this, or no one ever told me this, no one ever hugged me.

SPEAKER_00 42:11

Yeah, for sure. How do they feel whenever you do tell them that? I mean, do you explain it to them? Well, this is why I'm doing this, or like no, they don't.

SPEAKER_03 42:17

How does that they a hundred percent know? I have a really good relationship with them. Um, you know, it's crazy. Like, my daughter, she works for like the school paper, and she wrote an article. Wow, and about me in the shop, and she got a quote. I like to mess with their mom, not you, you not you using me for grades. Um she uh she she sent me the article, I read it, and I just got like emotional because I was like, Wow, so this is how you view me. Like, wow, you know, I I guess I am doing a good job. Like, I am like you you are proud of me. Crazy, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 42:56

I don't know. I I think I think it's a certain type of people that have that like filter, like we can't see what other people see. Yeah, like I can't figure like people see me a certain way, I don't figure it out. I'm 43 and figuring stuff out about myself.

SPEAKER_02 43:09

Like, yeah, really?

SPEAKER_00 43:10

Am I like that? You know, and my wife, a lot of times she's a filter, like for me, like, oh no, this is what it is, you know. Chill out, yeah, but she's awesome. Yeah, so speaking of women, uh, so woman Latina business owned, is that big to you? Or do you think about that?

SPEAKER_03 43:25

It is huge. Like in uh here in the shop, there's a wall of portraits, and one of them is my abuela, and I was her first granddaughter. Like, I I still remember her. She passed when I was like eight, and she she grew up it, you know, she's from Monterey, but she grew up like women are just moms and wives and housekeepers. Like, that's it. Like, what do you mean you own a business? Like, and it was just like I I I I wholeheartedly believe that she would be one proud, but also like oh, she's she's got a business, and it's like, oh my god, like are you sure you can do this? And because it's especially now, man, like you know, being Mexican, Latina, like it's it's these these times, it's I don't know, it's hard. And I I'm very proud, I've always been very proud. I love I love being people who speak Spanish because I instantly like you're my people, and um, I'm I've always been very proud of being Latina. Like, well, that just because I've always liked being able to speak a whole different language and um cool, you know, talk code with other people. I'm like, or you know, and like the Mexican code where you talk to I don't know if your Tia's or your mom ever did this with her all. I mean, like they gave it.

SPEAKER_00 45:00

I was just thinking that like arms or whatever. Yes, like yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 45:05

You know, they do that like um I I love my culture, man. Like coffee is my culture, wow, right? Because I don't know about you, but like growing up, it was always like Baby Fulana de Tal, pon un cafecito, and it was like nine. Wow, and you know, cafecito, right? Like she's gonna bring like you know, some bread and uh something sweet, put some coffee on. Wow, I've been drinking coffee since I was I was little, and it it one of the things that I loved about it, and I still love about it is like even right now, we're talking over coffee, coffee, yeah, yeah. You know, like something about just having a cup of coffee in front of you and like catching up with somebody, you know what I mean? And it's just you could sit here. I've seen people sit here for hours just talking to somebody, and it's just over coffee, and it it just brings you together, you know. Like it's one of those, like, hey, uh, you want to go grab a cup of coffee? Like, hey, I haven't talked to you in a while. How's it going? Good. Hey, you want to go grab some coffee? Let's catch up. And it's just like that's been my whole life. Like, I my mom like would just have with people over and they would just drink coffee and they would be there for hours, and they would just be like just talking and you know, conviviendo, and that's what I've always liked about it, and you know, and I I love seeing people here. I mean, there's people here that like I've seen people on dates. Oh, I'm so nosy. Like, they'll just be like dates some more. I'm just like waiting. Like, could you tell?

SPEAKER_00 46:33

Could you like tell me?

SPEAKER_03 46:34

You could totally tell them, and then like entanacito being like being mona is real cute, and then they're just sitting there, and then like, or like a guy's there, like waiting, and he you could tell he's just like fidgeting, you know, and I'm like, hey, and then I want you so bad, I never will because it's super tacky, but low-key, I want to be like, hey, come on this way, siempre que siempre que see or no, nah, but imagine, imagine I didn't meet but wow, that's so cool, man.

SPEAKER_00 47:08

I was and I was gonna ask you too, how come not like tacos or how come your business is not this or not that?

SPEAKER_03 47:13

But you just basically coffee is I have one of the things I love about it too is like after like even like just now, once you and I leave, like you left now with a bigger understanding of me and my business, and we sat down over coffee and you you left knowing more. And wow, and I love that because anybody can come here, even if you're just meeting for like a little like a meeting or whatever, like you just left and you're you know more about this person now. Wow, you know, you know, don't get me wrong, like there is you know, you meet up with your friend for a drink, right? But then you mix alcohol with all that, you know, whatever. But it's it hits different when it's just a cup of coffee, you're sitting there with your friend or family member, whoever you just left knowing a lot more about them when than when you walked in. And I I I love that that um that that that friendship that you can build with over just a cup of coffee.

SPEAKER_00 48:11

Yeah, I see I see it as like you're you leave knowledgeable, more knowledgeable than when you got there, which is which is huge for my podcast because that's what I want people to see. I want them to know more bef as opposed to before watching an episode. Yeah, you know what I mean? So knowledge is huge, and I've always been kind of like had a having a teacher mindset. Yeah, I taught guitar lessons, I substitute taught for a little bit, but it's cool to like teach people stuff, and that's like a connection that is pretty interesting to me.

SPEAKER_03 48:42

And plus, I love I love learning. I that's one thing about me is I will never stop learning. I have I've learned a lot owning a business for seven years, but I don't even know the half of it, and that's why a lot of like I meet other business owners and I pick their brain. Like, I think the moment you start saying, like, I know everything, I am the best coffee in town, like you no one can beat me. Like I'm the messiah of coffee, right? Like, that's where I feel like people like where they go wrong, because I'm like, Are you though? Like, if you if to me, like I I limit myself if I feel like I know it all. Like, in my opinion, I feel like I would limit myself like by thinking, like, oh, I know everything, I don't need to know. And then yet if I didn't have that mentality and I did speak to you, you might have an idea, and I'm like, you know what? I never thought of that.

SPEAKER_00 49:37

That's interesting, right? Yeah, having somebody else's perspective can definitely help, and especially if you're willing to learn, too. Because, like you said, not a lot of people are willing to learn, which it limits them. I definitely agree to that, even like making coffee. Did you so did you know how to make the types of coffee you're making now, or just like when did that come about?

SPEAKER_03 50:00

Um, right before I opened this up. So at the time, a lot coffee shops, they had like a an aesthetic of like who they would like hire, and I get it. And I'm like, make what early 30s, and it's like you know, no one wanted to hire a mom, a single mom, right? So I get it, and because it's mainly like a college job, you know. And I was like, whatever, but I'll figure it out.

SPEAKER_00 50:28

Well, make your own lane, you make your own lane at that point, right?

SPEAKER_03 50:32

So I get a job at the Omni Hotel, and they have like a little like coffee shop in there. Shout out to Morsels, because uh they taught me a lot more, and it's crazy because it like it worked out because you you know, you're working there, you're you learn about the inventory, you learn how like things flow, like how like you know, of a coffee shop. And I'm like so grateful for that because it was literally the last job I had that I where I just took the plunge and got all my savings and started the shop. And um wow, it was it was really cool. Um the like every everyone there was so helpful. I I actually like that job, you know. Sometimes I'd be like, you know what, y'all heart? Because I just be telling my husband, I'm like, you know what? What'd you so you like making coffee? I love making coffee. I just I just sometimes like like when you when you own a coffee shop, you maybe like one percent of the time you get lucky enough to make coffee because you're like when you know any business, right? Like my like my my husband, he he had a he owned a jujitsu gym for a while, and he loves jujitsu, you know, he's been doing it for years, and but he realized like oh, like I can't like be just training all day, like I gotta like make sure taxes are paid, this is paid, and like well, this this needs my my attention, and so like you don't get to like do it all the time. So because I'm hardly back there, I'm usually behind the scenes. Again, not a lot of people know I'm the owner, so I'd be back there and they're like, Oh, you're new. Um, I'm I always I'm a regular. This happened at the other shop.

SPEAKER_00 52:14

Do you play along? Do you play a lot?

SPEAKER_03 52:15

Oh heck yeah, I do. I'm like, I'm all yeah, what's up? And they're like, Well, you know, you like working here. I was like, I do, man. And they're like, Oh, so you like Harry Potter Mall a little bit? I'm a Harry Hoop, and I'm all like, no, it's cool. They all this space is great. They're like the the employee, the baristas are great. Yeah, I know. I I think they're great too. And um, but again, I get the posit, I get the feedback because that's at that point, you know, I they could just say, like, yeah, this is great, but you know, they're the drinks a little too sugary for me, you know. And it's just like, and I like to talk to them, um to the customers. Cool. So it I like being back there. I just don't get to be back there a lot.

SPEAKER_00 53:01

Yeah, for sure. Yeah, that's cool. Um, what's your favorite drink and most underrated item?

SPEAKER_03 53:08

Um, favorite drink. Oh man, you're gonna um is this gonna split the crowd? Um, I am probably the most boring coffee drinker ever, and that's the um just a black cup of coffee with steamed half and half, no sugar. But if I had to pick one for the menu and it's the whore crooks, okay, just because it's sorchata and espresso. So and you know, oh man, I already know my brother's gonna be like, why did you tell them that I made up the name? But shout out to my brother because he came up with that name because one day he was all, you know what you need? Like, if you got like corchata and like espresso, you can call it the whore crux, and I was like, you know what? And then it took off, and it's like been like everyone loves it, and he's all so my chick.

SPEAKER_00 54:04

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Royal tease.

SPEAKER_03 54:06

No, for real. And but no, like that. I just I feel like that one is just like everyone freaking loves it, man. Wow, that's so cool. Yeah, it's cool. There's some that are not on the menu anymore that I still have like a soft spot for. Um, the Dobby, which is butterscotch and white chocolate. Wow, and the Sinister of Magic, which is we make our chocolate in-house, right? So we make our own mocha, and it's uh mocha with uh cinnamon.

SPEAKER_00 54:34

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 54:35

Um mainly also because I like the names, you know.

SPEAKER_00 54:38

Yeah, so cool. I was thinking about uh the buck peak. The buck.

SPEAKER_03 54:42

I didn't see that one on there. No, that one's our um our seasonal. Okay, but it's got pumpkin spice. So then, and then you know, another one that I feel like everyone likes is the it's called the uh La Brujita or Bruca Spice, and that's orchata and pumpkin spice.

SPEAKER_00 54:58

Cool, and you put a video earlier.

SPEAKER_03 55:00

Was it La Matcha or La Matcha, which is like lavender matcha? Like sometimes I just don't have witty names, them all. It's just La Matcha, yeah, yeah. What's love for them all? Lavender. Wait, I you know, I can't help also, too, like I have to add a little culture into the shop.

SPEAKER_00 55:16

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_03 55:17

Um, I I remember like early on, um people would comment and they would say things like, But Harry Potter is in England, bro. Why are you talking doing like Mexican stuff? I'm like, the fact that you just said that publicly, bro, like I love like I wanted to so bad to troll them, but I I can't, right? Right, I gotta behave, and it's family business, but I trolled you in my mind.

SPEAKER_00 55:52

We get it around here too, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_03 55:54

Especially if we come on, bro, we're in South Texas, really, really, like that's funny, you know what I'm saying? And it it but I'm I don't care. I it's my shop, I do whatever I want. And if I want Travos and Margos playing when you walk in, but Travels and Margos is gonna be playing when you walk in. We got yeah, yeah, you know, it's probably because I'm going through something, but that's fine.

SPEAKER_00 56:18

No, you got baked stuff too, right? Uh, I've seen the happy birthday cakes, that's pretty cool. Yeah, so it's that's so dope.

SPEAKER_03 56:25

That's also from um a local bakery, uh Kika's desserts. She's from Monterey.

SPEAKER_00 56:31

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 56:32

Uh Latina owned. So cool, so freaking cool. And then the the coffee beans that I I get them from Kilaris, which is on the island. Also Latina owned, she's from El Salvador. Dope. Katia. Uh she has her little coffee shop out there on the island. They just opened up like a like a big bigger brick and mortar. She was just like inside like uh subleasing somewhere. And um, we're all, I mean, even with her, like we bounce off ideas, and you know, she she's just barely like starting, but she's had a roasting company for a while. So, like, I mean, what you know, what can I learn from you? And she'll come in here, and you know, she's never been one to like overstep, but I'm like, you know, can you teach me how to do this? And you know, I like to learn this. And mind you, I've been in like coffee shop business longer than she has, but to me, it's like, yeah, but she's more knowledgeable in this certain like area in coffee. So actually, how can how can I learn from you? And I I tell it sometimes too like, oh, like, how can I learn this from you? Can you teach me that? And it's and it benefits my shop, so therefore, my shop is better and like you know, succeeds and right, right, right.

SPEAKER_00 57:41

Um, I like that. It's a community, actual community helping community grow. That's huge, right there, man. So that's awesome. Uh, what else we got? Quick fire. Uh, if you weren't doing the coffee mug, what would you be doing? Um that's tough, man. You've been so a 2000, how many years is that 18, 19, 20? 8 years, be eight years this year. That's almost a decade.

SPEAKER_03 58:06

No, for real. And you know, I get asked all the time, uh, when you can open up another location, mall girl. Give me a break.

SPEAKER_00 58:12

Give me a minute.

SPEAKER_03 58:13

I'm just like, this is like my fourth child. I have three kids, right? And this is like congratulations. Thank you. This is like my fourth child, and I'm like, you don't understand. Okay, like, and I and I've told the breeze this at the end of the day, the way I look at this this place is like I look at when my son's at daycare, right? Like his daycare, they'll take care of him for me while I'm away. Yeah, they feed him, they if he were to like fall, hurt his knee, they take care of him, and but they'll never love it, love him like I love him, right? So that's why even with my breezes, I always try to take care of them. Like when we were close, because I had to like move over here, I was close for almost a month to get this place up and running. I tried to like even pay like pay them a little something because I'm like, Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't want y'all not to have any sort of income coming in. And my thing was always like, let me take care of y'all because y'all are taking care of my kid right here. You know, this is my baby, and um it if I ever opened up another location, it oh man, I don't I I see people like opening up locations left to right, and I'm like, you know what? How? Like, how do you do it? Like, because I'm constantly, you know, you create like a product here, right? And that everyone loves, and then you go open up another one, you need to emulate the same product, yeah, right? Yeah, yeah. And because if not, that one's not gonna succeed, even though it's the same thing. And I I need to make sure this place is in good standing and it's doing great. Because if I always just had like crappy reviews and and like, oh, the coffee sucks, yeah, and the customer service sucks. I'm like, oh, thanks for letting me know. I'm gonna go open up another location and not in any way fix this situation, right? Um, but where I would be, I I'd probably just still be trying to get a job and work for my kids and make sure that they are taken care of. I I don't think I'll ever stop being in survival mode. Like I'm doing great for myself. You know, I had like a little aha moment not too long ago. I'm sitting there in my house, my husband and my kids in the living room, and I just remembered what it was like sitting in that when I first opened up. Yeah, we had just opened up this place, this one uh back in December. And it was, you know, do it's been doing great. And I'm sitting there in my house, and I'm like, damn, like I remember sitting in like that crappy ass apartment with like no TV and watching Netflix with just me and my two kids, and like getting using food stamps and all that, and and I'm like, and I'm not there anymore. And oh like damn, like I'm here, like it's it it it was nice, you know. And the thing I meant I've I have so many reasons to be grateful for this place. I met my husband here. Yeah, uh, we got married at the shop. Um at the old shop because where we met, and so awesome. It's uh it it opened my eyes a lot to to I I'm way more cutthroat with the shop. I'm like super cutthroat when it comes to business. When it comes to business, I'm just like do you have to be that way?

SPEAKER_00 1:01:55

Like, I mean, it seems like you get to the point where it's like I care so much about this that because like in our culture, oh, we're family, you know what I mean? But it's like, yes, we are, but at the same time, I've got this going. Do you understand? You know what I mean? So it's like you kind of have to be like that, you know what I mean? You kind of have to get to that point.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:14

One of the things that I'll never understand is when people reach out, and and it is a lot of times it's like big organizations, people that have like a lot of money, right? That they have like organizations where their their galas are gonna bring in thousands of dollars to make sure that company's still running. They hit up small businesses and they say, Can you donate a gift card or can you give me this for free? Wow, and it's just like uh no, you give me something like you have more money than me, you know, or like, oh, can I get a discount? And it's just like like uh no. Um, but for me, like I anytime I've ever done any um sort of like an event or anything like that, I we do like giveaways and prizes. I actually go to the business itself and I I'll buy a gift card and I don't even tell them what it's for. I mean, to me, all they care about is like they made the sale and this is great. Now, there is like now like smaller businesses where they they want to donate. And for me, like, okay, you donated this, let me showcase you. So I'll do like a whole live and I go through every single donation and I show them the card and I put the link in there, and then I say this is what they do, and then I just go through every single one. Sometimes I've had like 40 donations.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:34

Wow.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:35

Um, because I know what it's like to need to make a sale, and um, so when someone comes over here and it's like, Can I get a discount or can I get this for free? I like, no, I'm like, I'm sorry. Like, I I do do that sometimes. I do like depending on who I know, and if it's for like a good cause, but if it's like a fellow small business, right? But I've never liked someone saying, Let me help local out. Do you have anything you can give me for free? And it's like, no, like helping me out would be helping me make a sale for the day because I probably only made a hundred bucks that day. Yeah, and your cell wouldn't help me make an extra 50 or 20 bucks.

SPEAKER_00 1:04:14

The mentality, that mentality shift of like giving instead of like taking is is huge. Like you have to change that mindset, yeah. I mean, it's it's a mindset shift. Uh love this podcast, Odis Pizzeria. How you doing? Appreciate you. Odis goes hard. You like Odis? Tell us about Odis, bruh. So we'll give you a shout out here.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:37

Odis Odyssey, let me tell you, like, so my husband and I went on a date. Man, just keep talking, right?

SPEAKER_00 1:04:46

That's what the coffee does. I know. What's in this coffee, man?

SPEAKER_03 1:04:49

No, I'm all and Odis is next. Um, no, so we went. Um, okay. So my my husband, since they've opened for Father's Day and his birthday, he has specifics that he needs, and one of them includes Odie's bread. Wow, and the sauce. Oh my god, like that's wizardry, right there. Okay, that's let that's real, that's real wizardry. I don't know what y'all are doing over there, but it's like, oh my god, it's that bread. Oh sometimes that's all we want for dinner, it's just that bread, and it's just like with the sauce, and I'm like, I know this ain't that like you know, canned like stuff. Like this is like scratch made from scratch sauce.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:35

Where's it at? We gotta go check it out, dude.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:36

You oh my god, that bread. Oh, and then of course, you know, add the the crust and all that. But um I and then they have they have like you know some pretty good wine. I love wine. Um, but that bread, oh my god. I if who y'all need to go, just go. Just go because that place is bomb.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:54

Nice. Thanks a lot, Odyssey. Appreciate you. Wow. Uh so we're about to close out. I got an H E B question. Ask everybody which ATV do you shop at, or which one do you avoid?

SPEAKER_03 1:06:05

Um, you know, or no comment, being as though, like, I don't want people to know where I go shop at. Yeah, there you go. I don't want to get stopped. I don't want to get stopped. I don't want them to be like, guys, it's just a normal day. I want to be with my family. Um, you know what?

SPEAKER_00 1:06:20

I think I scare some of my listeners because they'll see me in public and they'll be looking at me and I'm like, what are they looking at? What are you looking at? And I give them a lot, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:29

And my husband, it cracks him up because now he's all like, babe, can we just have a normal day, please? Because it's had an you know, it's happened, you know, when the one thing I noticed is when you have a business and you put yourself out there. I mean, I don't personally put my face out there a lot because I just don't think you care to see it. I think I what I want you to see is my product and I want you to see this place and yeah, I want you to love it.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:55

Cool.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:55

Um, but the people that have seen me and they know that I'm the one, they they'll like come up to me and they feel like we're we're besties, right? Like we're friends. They're like, hey, how is everything? This and that. And I'm like, what? No, uh, I'll talk to them and then we'll just like chat. And my husband's like, who's that? I'm like, I have no idea, but I'm so glad that they love the shop. So now, like, I have this like ongoing joke. My husband, we go somewhere and I'm like, guys, can we just have like a I just want a regular day? I want to have a good time with my spouse. Like, can we do this maybe on my um off time like right now? Um, no, I um the H E B, the you know, I saw the other episode of that guy talking about the one on Leopard, right? No, is it no? It's yeah, he avoids that when he says the one it's oh it's the where that other random ass like Starbucks is.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:49

Oh, yeah, yeah, that's the one they just put a new Starbucks out there and it's on Leopard, but it's in that area that H E B.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:56

Yeah, I did not know that H E B was there, really and we I don't my my husband owns like some properties and he had one over there, and and I went with him and and I was like, There's an H E B here, and he's like, Yeah, and we're not getting off, so don't you you can wait, whatever you need.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:14

And I and I saw it, I was like, Yeah, no, it's um do you know if do you know of any H E Bs that that don't exist anymore, like where it used to be? The one I can think of is on Baldwin and Morgan. It was H E B, and then after that it turned into like a like a club, and then it turned into like a school school. A school. Do you remember um Albertsons? No, it's not I don't. People always bring up Albertson's.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:42

We're we're Ray High School is okay, okay, right? Like right in front. That's Del Mar now, but that used to be, or is it Eckerd's one of those? I don't even know how I remember. I'm not that old now. I'm only like 40. But I remember that. And um, you know which which H E Bs go hard or the ones that play like good music, hey, for real. It's like yesterday I was like at the HB on Weber, and they were just like uh playing like the early 2000s, like uh oh nice. Uh what's that band called? Uh Vertical Horizon or Bring Me the Horizon? No, no, it goes because you're gonna done and then they started playing like uh uh that what is that band called Tonic or like just like all the then like lit like uh my homie were standing me and I was like I was like yes bro I was like and singing along because I I that's that's you know when anytime I'm if I'm working behind the bar I realize I have resting bitch face right so like I'm back there so I'm like listening to music and then I get in my zone and I'm I say and I I can see why my my husband was like you're a little intimidating to a well to be honest I kind of thought that about you two when I first seen you at the mu because remember I lived right down the street from the old one, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:10:10

I think I had met you once, or I knew a barista, it was a guy, barista. How do you say barista man? Barista, it was the dude I knew him, he was working there, whatever. And you were there, it's like, oh, these this is the owner, and I met you, and I was like, Oh shoot, so you did kind of have that. I don't know, maybe like maybe it's if I had a nickel resting, huh?

SPEAKER_03 1:10:30

If I had a nickel for someone saying that, I'd have 500 locations by now, but and and I'm aware of that, I'm aware of the the face that I have, so sometimes I have to be like and even with that, you can't like no, and now it's like scary, like wait, like I I realize I have to, and you know, and I but I always appreciate like someone who like I have like very few, well, my husband um who sees it and then talks to me anyway, and then they get to know me, no, and then they're like my like you actually work for this, yeah. You're like you're not at all like that who I thought you were, like you like are normal, and I'm like, yeah, um, but no, like I I realized that, so like I'm back there, like I have to like remember be like that's cool.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:22

All right, before we go, uh do you have any? I guess I'll give you some let's give you the last word. Is there anything you would like to say? Um, I guess what's some advice you would give your younger self or anybody watching, uh say they're a woman Latina, maybe wanting to start a business, or any type of encouragement or anything that you would like to share with your your audience or our audience.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:44

Advice-wise, if I give myself I I I knew immediately when you asked me what I would say, because I I I tell myself this all the time uh you're a lot smarter than you think that you are. Um you are a hundred percent a lot smarter than you think that you are, and you grow up thinking that you're never going to amount to anything, or do you do even have the capacity to do anything, and then when you actually do it, you're like, oh, so I'm not who I thought I was. Um, you know, and I I wholeheartedly like can say I worked really, really hard for this. And um it's just that bad bitch mentality, you know, like it's just it's having that that that bad bitch mentality. And I my husband, I I remember when I met him, I got to know him because he's real quiet. I'm like, you're a bad bitch, and you need to own that. Like he said that in our vowels, too. He's like, thank you for making me feel like a bad bitch. Uh but it's just like really like believing in yourself, and it sounds like super cliche and cheesy, but like it's so true, man. And for any other business owner, um it's it's really hard, and I will never begin to even in any way sugarcoat that it's super hard, yeah. And to be to literally start from scratch with just maybe like three tables and like a few chairs that I found at like the pulga to being here now has been um I don't know, man. Like it's just sometimes I I wow myself in a sense from like, man, dude, like you really did have the capacity, you do have the capacity, you have the mental capacity to do it. And um, that's why whenever I meet like fellow like like Latinas or like fellow business owners, like and there's a coffee shop grind, they they had closed down for a little bit with the AC. Like, I'm like, I know I don't really know y'all, but like if y'all ever need anything, like talk to me. Like, wow, you know, I mean, maybe I haven't like I maybe I've gone through it, or maybe I know someone and I can put you through it, and they were like, no, you know, they they appreciated that, but I it's not it has not been without any hiccups and bumps, and uh, you know, you have a uh you know uh a big hand handbook, it it it it creates it gets bigger because you go through all the oops and you're like oh gotta add that on there. So um, but it it's uh it's hard, but it's not uh impossible. Yeah, and it's you just have to know and trust the right people and never think that you know everything. Wow, because I think that the moment you start, like I said, the moment you start to think that you know everything, you're cooked, man. It's done. Like I've I've I've met business owners that are no longer in business, and I remember meeting them, and they were like, Well, we're the best, like straight up telling me, and they owned a coffee shop, and I own one too. And I'm like, but I don't tell people I own a coffee shop unless they ask. Yeah, um, I was just there, and he didn't know I own a coffee shop, and he was like, Oh, I'm the best, I'm this and that, and no one can beat me, and no one can do that. And he ended up like he got so close, and I feel like it's such a close-minded thing. This was like years ago, and he closed down, he couldn't he couldn't do it. And I'm like, to me, I'm constantly trying to like, okay, how can I be better here? Or how can I evolve like here? Everyone's evolving, how can I do this? How can I do that? Um, we all take I feel like there's maybe again back to not being competitive, but we all take things from other people that are doing it, and it's like, how can I do that? Emulate that with the little twists of my own, and like that was a really good idea. And I I don't know, I don't see that as like, what do you why what do you want to know? And because I've had situations where like coffee shop owners I would walk in. I guess they they knew like I owned a coffee shop, and then they were like and they would just they would be rude or or they'd just be like kind of like what is she doing here? I'm like, I don't know, your shop looks cool, like it's all that neat, just come to admire what you're doing, yeah. And I'll I'll I'll like I'll post about it, my personal page. And I'm like, this place is cool. I'll tell other people if you're in that area, go. Yeah, like go. And um, because I know what it's like to start a business and I know how freaking hard it is, and I know like the slow days, like like even now, like it's slow because we're more of a touristy shop, right? So it's it slowed down a lot and it it's scary, but I know what that's like, I know how uh how hard it is, you know. And I'm like, I don't wish the worst on you. I want you to succeed, I want all the other coffee shops to succeed because I know what it's like to have to pay rent, I have to pay myself, I got a kids to like feed, so I I I and I also know what it's like to not have any money, and I that's such an ugly feeling, yeah. And I I don't want that, I want everyone to succeed. If you don't want me to succeed, well, then I'm gonna succeed anyway.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:06

Yeah, yeah, you know that's what's that's on you. Definitely respect the hustle, definitely. Well, thanks a lot, you guys, for joining the show, and obviously, thanks for you, Susanna, for letting us use your place to do this podcast episode. Lovely place. Come and check it out. You guys, what's the address? It's 432.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:25

Girl, I forgot. Like, I had a brain part.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:29

Yeah, the coffee mug that she just moved.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:31

4535 S P I D.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:33

There you go. It's all good. Shoot.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:35

Sorry, I had a brain part. I don't know. I was literally thinking Morgan. Oh my god, all nostalgic.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:43

You know what I mean? But we're not, man.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:45

Yes, we're right in front of Hooters. Shout out to Hooters Girls because we always like caffeinate them too.

SPEAKER_00 1:17:50

Yay, that's what's up. Oh, yeah. I saw them coming in here. I saw the restaurant coming in.

SPEAKER_03 1:17:54

I'll be telling them like eight. We got we got coffee for y'all over here. And then the Izzy's bar before they start their shift, they come over here.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:03

Um, you have new hours? Uh uh, do they know the people know about the new hours?

SPEAKER_03 1:18:07

So, right now we're open seven to five. Uh weekends, um, we're open till uh seven to seven. So we're open later on the weekends. Um, but yeah, no, we're right off spid in this same shopping center. I always say, y'all, you diders, or they're where they're neighbors, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:26

Or we go to the uh the Texas Texas Flame, bro. Texas Flame, hell yeah. I love a good steak.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:33

You don't understand. Like, steak is my like steak is a little bit below my love for my husband. Okay, you know what I'm saying? Like, I love a good steak, and I went there and I go there by myself. I love going places by myself. I sit there and I just enjoy a glass of wine and the steak, and I'm just like, uh, I'm like, I swear I have friends. I just genuinely like being alone and eating a steak.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:57

No, Texas Flame is bomb. Yeah, yeah, yeah. My wife loves that place. Anytime we go up, steak. Like it here, we I think we go here frequently here more than any other place that has the steaks. Joe Scrapshot. We go Joe Scrapshy. Okay, but yeah, so it's right here by the Texas Flame. You guys come check it out. I'm drinking the Hufflepuff, white mocha, cinnamon in it. Good stuff here. And you're drinking, oh, you're drinking black or are you drinking?

SPEAKER_03 1:19:21

I'm drinking an Americano.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:22

Americano.

SPEAKER_03 1:19:23

Uh, just a cup of coffee with some steamed half and half.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:25

Yeah, yeah. Bring your laptop, bring a friend, chit chat, have a good time, you guys. But thanks a lot again for this interview for letting us use this place. Thank you so much. Yeah, you guys in the chat. Check it, check out uh the replay if you haven't seen it. I'll be posting it also on uh Spotify, Apple, and all that other stuff. It's Corpuscity Original. See you guys later.

SPEAKER_03 1:19:44

Bye.