Today we’d like to introduce you to Monica Nava.
Hi Monica, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I opened the very first coffee shop in the fast-growing city of Elgin, approximately 25 miles east of Austin, Texas in July of 2019. I am the sole owner and operator, with unconditional and never-ending help from my adult children. It took three years of planning, working, attending classes, workshops, and seminars before finally reaching the courage to quit a full-time job & seek a location to lease.
The theme is set to be an educationally-inspired design (comprising the name CHeMn CaFe out of elements in the Periodic Table), with a ‘library’ of coffee-table books and games available to entertain while visiting the shop. Most of our customers are local Elginites, with some Austin bikers or travelers through town finding us on Google or Yelp (both of which have 5 Star reviews), along with the many newcomers seeking land and housing opportunities outside of Austin and beyond.
Not only do we offer a full menu of coffee and espresso-based drinks, but many tea varieties, lemonade varieties, and a wonderful water ice product known as Philadelphia Water Ice. In May, we began roasting our own beans in-house. In June, we were approved for a Mixed Beverage license in order to serve alcoholic mixed drinks along with some wine and beer.
I hired a company who assisted in creating a specialty drink menu called The Lab, along with other promotional advertising. I brought in more food items, including keto items, gluten-free muffins, and vegan snacks, to cater to dietary restricted needs. I also started selling merchandise including t-shirts, cups, glassware, blank note cards, coffee sleeves, handmade jewelry, small furniture items, pillows, and plants, all from local vendors who bring items in as-needed and pay a commission for the space.
The pivots I enacted in response to Covid were built on take-out and limited indoor seating. We offered members of the community the ability to purchase simple items like paper towels, sanitizer, and toilet paper, as well as necessity food items when they could not find them elsewhere. The shop remaining open seven days a week, with free WiFi enabled many employees who were forced to work remotely with no internet, the ability to work from the shop with no issues, as well as many students who were doing remote learning. I have been thanked many times for just being open at a time when so many other businesses would or could not be in order to find refuge in a clean, sanitary business where they could go just to get out of the house for a little while.
Most of our customers who remain loyal are those that have an incredible first-time experiences in the shop and tell others about it. I’ve also had several customers that specifically came in to thank me for helping our community and creating a fund during our February snowstorm via social media. This gained the attention of both KXAN and CBS in Austin who featured myself and the coffee shop on their local news!
I win new customers by serving an incredible product with wonderful, knowledgeable staff who love the atmosphere and the community and it shows through, and in return we gain a faithful customer base.
I keep an active presence on our social media pages, specifically Facebook and Instagram. We also recognize the importance of keeping abreast of the TikTok app with a younger-aged demographic in mind. We stay current with relevant articles in the Twitter account for those coffee-minded followers.
I will continue to drive sales for the new in-house coffee roasts, both wholesale and retail to entities both in and surrounding Elgin as well as shipping across the US. I’ll also promote our new drink menu by creating seasonal libations that enhance and complement our current drink menu.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My journey to open my own coffee shop has had a lot of rewards, and at the same time many challenges right from the beginning. To mirror that statement, a small town has its rewards in becoming a part of a small community of wonderful folk, to struggling as a small business that depends on the percentage of people that patronage each store.
The initial challenge was….yes, you guessed it…location, location, location.
Put it out there. That’s what I did, and because of this I received a call one day from a tenant in the perfect location who was willing to give up the space that I currently occupy. This was three years after I initially began planning and writing a business plan.
Second (but most challenging) obstacle = COVID19. Nothing else to add to that.
Thirdly, Starbucks has opened a chain store right in our small town – drive-thru and all. And no, we do not have a drive-thru option downtown in the Historic District.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I consider myself a caring, detailed Barista / Manager now but up until as recent as a year ago, I have been in Business and Marketing for close to 20 years.
Before that, I was an inpatient medical records coder for a small period of time. I was the most unhappy with this career; I discovered that I am much more a people person than I had known myself to be, but once I realized this fact, I quickly changed jobs, returned to school, and had my hands in tons of experiential marketing assignments.
I lived in Las Vegas for about ten years which afforded a lot of different assignments and kept me busy in this line of work, but knowing I was always working for someone else struck a cord. If I was working hard for another, why not put that much time and energy into my own business? I knew I could to it, it was just a matter of narrowing down the business and making the plan.
I am most proud of raising my three children single-handedly since my youngest was one month old into the most incredible adults.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memory is spending time with my family and cousins for holidays, birthdays, and celebrations as I believe it has molded me into a caring and loving parent and giving me a sense of purpose.
Pricing:
- 20.00 Single Origin Arabica 14oz coffee bag
Contact Info:
- Email: chemncafe@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.chemncafe.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/chemncafe
- Facebook: facebook.com/chemncafe/
- Twitter: twitter.com/chemncafe
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNZOfZUwCMk
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/chemn-cafe-elgin?osq=chemn+cafe
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@chemncafe?lang=en
