Origins: Shotzy’s Coffee

May 29, 2020
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Shotzy’s Coffee has dialed up every precaution in order to keep its drive-thru open during the COVID quarantine. But from Shotzy’s perch beside a normally hopping North Sullivan Road, the view has been decidedly different.

No East Valley High School students zipping through a few minutes before the first bell. No weekend soccer families fueling up for a crisp day at Plantes Ferry. Even the ever-bustling Spokane Industrial Park has been eerily still.

In a business where you can tell the time by the arrival of regulars, the inconsistency has been discombobulating.

“We know their names, what they drink and what time of the morning they are coming through,” Shotzy’s owner Kim Cline said of the customers. “We get really close to them. We become part of their routine.”

Customers have felt the difference as well. After a few weeks’ disappearance, a regular pulled up to the window recently and began sobbing. The alarmed baristas asked if she was OK.

“She said, ‘This is my routine, and I haven’t been able to do it for weeks. I’ve missed you guys,’” Cline said. “It really touches us. There is definitely a relationship that is built.”

For Kim, the relational nature of the business is what drew her in the first place. A 1995 graduate of University High School, she got her first coffee job in 1996 at a Spokane Valley drive-thru called Buzzies.

“Once you get in there and work as a barista, it’s just so much fun talking to people, getting to know people and their families and looking forward to seeing them the next day,” Kim said.

She spent a couple of years managing the Thomas Hammer outpost at the Northtown Mall before sensing a “push toward something more.” Along with husband, Jason, and a couple of relatives, she opened the original Shotzy’s Coffee on South Pines Road in 2001. Alongside her cousin, Kim worked seven days a week for the first six months to help establish the culture and clientele of the shop.

“It was grueling,” she said. “But we put in the work, and as long as you put in the work and work hard and believe in what you do, good comes out of what you put into it.”

A few years into the business, Jason and Kim bought out their partners and opened the second location at 3413 N. Sullivan Road. When Kim decided to go back to school to become a nurse in 2014, the Clines sold the Pines location (which retained the Shotzy’s name) and focused on the Sullivan business. In nearly 25 years in the local coffee industry, Kim has seen both the market for coffee and the competition from other stands grow by leaps and bounds.

“There’s definitely more competition today, but if you keep to your core motto of serving quality coffee with quality service, everything will come around,” she said. “We never skimp on quality for cost.”

Indeed, Kim laughed about how the “bigger-hitter” chain coffee stores offer not only inspiration but leave a happy wake with their marketing efforts.

“For example, we serve pumpkin all year long, but the second Starbucks says pumpkin’s here, our pumpkin sales go through the roof,” she said.

As she doesn’t work many shifts at the window these days, she credits a base of 5-7 mostly full-time employees with Shotzy’s continued success.

“I have amazing women who work for me,” Kim said. “I’m very blessed with a good group of girls that I can trust.”

THE NAME

In German, the word “schatzi” is a term of endearment meaning “treasure” or “sweetheart.” She has had customers ask her whether such a beautiful correlation exists in the name of her coffee shop.

Nope. Kim jokes she wishes that it was that glamorous, but in truth the early partners flipped through the yellow pages for inspiration.

“We started looking through the phone book to see what jumped out,” she recalled. “There was a bar in Coeur d’Alene called Shotzy’s, and that’s what we chose.”

THE PRODUCT

With an emphasis on consistency and quality, Shotzy’s has partnered with DOMA Coffee Roasting Company in Post Falls for years.

Shotzy’s has also developed a loyal following of its in-house granita recipe — “We have it in a special machine that makes it nice and thick and yummy,” Kim said — and it’s a featured ingredient in the popular “Six-Shooter,” which also features caramel and soft-serve ice cream.

Of course, Shotzy’s offers a full lineup of specialty drinks, including cold brew options like nitro and kombucha, and energy drinks like Red Bull and Red Lotus.

Kim also gave a nod to longtime local suppliers like Coffee Warehouse and Terry’s Dairy for providing quality products that keep the Shotzy’s customer experience first-rate.

  • The Six-Shooter
  • Shotzy’s Love

THE TIME WHEN …

Several years ago, Kim was at a community business event when she met Mary Anne Ruddis, who was then executive director of the American Childhood Cancer Organization of the Inland Northwest (ACCOIN).

Mary Anne’s passion and the mission of ACCOIN struck a chord with the future nurse, and Kim decided to do a “Coffee Day” to support local families dealing with childhood cancer. Instead of making it exclusive to Shotzy’s, Kim spread the idea to fellow coffee shops, many of which have since put their own twists on supporting ACCOIN.

At Shotzy’s, the support has grown to include a holiday tradition called Beans of Sharing, where customers pick up a tag at the shop featuring a gift for a local family whose child is fighting cancer during the Christmas season. When the customer returns with the gift, they are rewarded with a free drink, and Shotzy’s is able to brighten a local Christmas. Additionally, Shotzy’s was one of several local shops to embrace Hugs for Jade, raising funds earlier this year for a local family whose 4-year-old daughter was diagnosed with kidney cancer.

One final focal point of Shotzy’s love is the East Valley School District community. The shop offers discounts for East Valley students and employees and looks for ways to serve the community, such as showing up to the annual Senior All-Nighter to pour Red Bull sodas — when the event isn’t cancelled by COVID, that is.

“This year we can’t so we’re super bummed, but we went ahead and printed cards for them to come into the shop and get their free soda,” Kim said.

THE INFO


3413 N. Sullivan Road, Spokane Valley
509-892-6160
Facebook.com/shotzys
@shotzys_coffee on Instagram

  • So grateful to Kim Cline for meeting up with me on Zoom to share the Shotzy’s story. The coffee at Shotzy’s goes up yet another notch in my book when you consider how much they have invested in our community. Props and thanks to Kim and her husband, Jason!
    — Josh Johnson (soccer jersey: FC Barcelona)

Would you do me a favor?

If you enjoy articles like this one, join the CoffeeJosh mailing list. It’s hurry-free, spam-free and also free … free. As a thanks, I’ll send you a PDF — you guessed it, free — that has 10 of the best coffee shop orders in the Spokane area. (All 10 are drinks and treats local coffee shop owners make for themselves. In this case, expect to pay for your order and feel like it was totally worth it.)

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Origins: Cozy Coffee

February 20, 2020
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Lisa and Ryan Olson live on a Greenacres farm with their four kids, chickens, goats, sheep and alpacas. The acreage reflected the Olsons’ priority for keeping two daughters and two sons (ages 10, 8, 6 and 5) outside and busy.

Outside the house and busy also happen to be priorities for Mom and Dad. As owner of Viking Homes, Ryan has no problem keeping items on his itinerary, but Lisa knew there would be a major void when the youngest started school.

“What I found was when my 5-year-old went into school all day, I was really lonely, and animals don’t talk back,” she laughed. “It took about 5 minutes a day to feed all the animals. And then it was like, ‘Man, what am I going to do?’ There are really only so many classes at the gym you can go to.”

Lisa found the answer in a longtime ambition. She bought a local coffee shop.

  • Lisa Olson in the “cozy corner” of Cozy Coffee

At 514 N. Barker Road, Cozy Coffee was located just blocks from home, allowing her to put in a full shift and still be out the door by 2:30 to pick up the kids after school. A Realtor friend inquired with Raymond Siegel, the founding owner of Cozy Coffee who developed the property in 2011 and opened to customers in early 2012. He was open to the sale, and the transaction was made in 2019.

Lisa couldn’t be more thrilled. While she has training and appreciation for great coffee, it was never about the product but about the people. She knows the vast majority of the customers by name.

“I absolutely love that,” she said. “It’s super fun for me, and that’s exactly why I bought (the business). When I leave here, I don’t want to leave. I could be here from the minute it opens to the minute it closes.”

Lisa said she strives for a Cheers-like environment. Her cast of regulars provide not only camaraderie but a sounding board for feedback and fresh ideas — whether it’s suggestions and insight from Alex and Gordon or taste-testing a new ginger latte with Keri and Diana, who play cribbage at Cozy every Wednesday and host a book club on Thursdays.

“I love everyone’s sense of humor,” Lisa said. “I love that everyone is able to josh around and have a good time. It’s so fun.”

The conversations, vibe and environment typical of coffee shops were her pull into the business, even if the coffee wasn’t. A tea drinker, Lisa said she actually loves coffee but is aware of its addictive qualities, something she is sensitive to after “a bit of an alcohol issue” many years ago. As a mother of two girls and two boys ages 10, 8, 6 and 5, she said she is extremely careful about anything that could create dependencies.

“Knowing myself and that habit – that addiction habit – I don’t want to suffer from coffee withdrawals or migraines or just wanting to have to have it,” she said. “I drink (coffee) for quality control, but when I drink it, I love it, so I know that I just can’t at this time. I don’t want to turn one addiction into another, even if it is just coffee.”

That’s not to say she doesn’t know her coffee. Lisa attended a week-long training for coffee shop owners at the Seattle Barista Academy, and she and her entire team have been through the local training provided by Cozy Coffee’s wholesale supplier, Thomas Hammer.

THE NAME

Lisa anticipated her coffee dreams long before they had four walls and a street address. Two years ago, she registered a business, Cream & Sugar LLC, with the Washington Secretary of State.

It was to be the name of her future coffee shop, “but when I bought Cozy, it really was the right name for it,” Lisa said. “It’s just cozy.”

As she talks, she is sitting in a nook immediately to the left when you enter her shop. She catches herself with a “no pun intended” laugh as she describes the “cozy corner” she redecorated and purchased new “cozy furniture” for.

THE VIBE

While the word “cozy” fits the overall vibe, Lisa has found herself adding flourishes that accentuate the feel of the business as opposed to making large-scale shifts.

“I didn’t change much when I first took ownership, because Ray did a nice job,” she said.

Other than updates to the aforementioned “cozy corner,” she painted a wall, updated the logo and menus and added shelving and an eating bar using natural wood from a craftsman she admires from the Liberty Lake Farmers Market. She also plans to add a firepit among upgrades to the patio. Unlike many coffee establishments, Cozy Coffee is open till 7 p.m. and serves beer, wine and evening appetizers like nachos and quesadillas.

  • Pesto Turkey Flatbread
  • BBQ Pork Ranch Salad
  • Keto Turkey Rolls
  • Nachos
  • Local Honey

THE TOP PICK

Among a robust morning menu of muffins, bagels, burritos, wraps, biscuits and scones, the breakfast sandwiches are the most popular.

“We send a lot of sandwiches out the window, lots of sausage, egg and cheese on croissants,” Lisa said.

The meat of choice is grilled – not microwaved – in Cozy’s small kitchen.

“I’m very specific in the ways those are created,” she said.

While Lisa said she is still working on a signature drink, the daily special is a clear best seller, typically a 16-ounce latte with a rotating cast of flavors.

THE CULT FAVORITE

On her way back from the Seattle Barista Academy, Lisa scheduled a girls weekend with her sister in Winthrop, chosen in part because of a tip from a friend about a great organic roaster: Lariat Coffee.

She liked it so much, she now keeps a Lariat dark roast drip and, for fans of an organic cold alternative, “I just have a nice, smooth, dark cold brew on tap” that has a devoted following.

With the popularity of Lotus as a healthier energy drink alternative, Lisa has also developed a special partnership with Bob Burgess from the Seattle Barista Academy, who has his own energy drink similar to Lotus that she has branded as the Cozy Kicker Energy Spritzer.

On the food side, Cozy’s Bento Boxes have been embraced by the soccer mom crowd. The healthy snack features four containers featuring boiled eggs, cheese, almonds and grapes.

  • Egg Bites
  • Fiesta Crispy Salad
  • Beet and Turmeric Lattes with Biscotti
  • Plentiful options from The Republic of Tea

THE TEAM

True to her people-focused theme, Lisa emphasizes not just the product, but the great relationships provided by partners like the aforementioned Thomas Hammer, Lariat and Burgess. She finds a similar connection to everyone she does business with, from the staff at URM (“like a second family”) to bread provider Franz (“it’s like a friendship”) to the Scone Ranger, where she admits a personal weakness for the cherry almond.

As her drink of choice, the ample tea lineup she offers from The Republic of Tea was selected with purpose.

Her favorite business relationships, though, are the ones forged with her staff, all of whom stayed on from the previous owner.

“I couldn’t do it without them,” Lisa said. “Even though they could all be my daughters, their input and suggestions (are so valuable). … And we have a good time. We have fun.”

  • The ‘El Gordo’ Burrito

THE TIME WHEN …

If you’re a regular with excellent input, you just might inspire your own menu item – or two, in the case of Gordon.

“Gordy comes in every day,” Lisa said.

He inspired “Biscuits and Gravy Supreme” when he suggested adding some of Cozy Coffee’s burrito mixture to the biscuits before topping with gravy. But a certain 2.5-pound burrito stuffed with hashbrowns, crumbled sausage and gravy has literally become his namesake.

“The El Gordo is huge,” Lisa said. “If someone is going to pay $8.50, I want it to be a burrito!”

A burrito forged from input from a not-so-anonymous customer.

“I do like to have everybody taste and I love the input, so it’s great when I can attribute something to him, because he was a big part of it,” Lisa said.

THE INFO



514 N. Barker Road, Spokane Valley
509-891-7334
@cozycoffeegirls on Instagram and Facebook

  • Thanks to Lisa for sharing her Cozy Coffee story with me … and a delicious latte … and that Lariat organic cold brew … and … just check this place out.
    — Josh Johnson (soccer jersey: Sydney FC)

While you’re here, would you do me a favor?

If you enjoy articles like this one, join the CoffeeJosh mailing list. It’s hurry-free, spam-free and also free … free. As a thanks, I’ll send you a PDF — you guessed it, free — that has 10 of the best coffee shop orders in the Spokane area. (All 10 are drinks and treats local coffee shop owners make for themselves. In this case, expect to pay for your order and feel like it was totally worth it.)

Origins: Crazy Beagle Coffee

March 5, 2020
0

On the surface, it might not sound like praise, but to the ladies at Crazy Beagle Coffee, it’s a compliment of the highest order: “I don’t even know what I order anymore.”

“There are a lot of customers who have been here since I’ve been here and they have never once changed their drink in 15 years,” Crazy Beagle Manager Jillian DeHaan said. “And there’s a few of them who every single day will show up, and we just know what we make them. They say, ‘I don’t even know what I order anymore.’”

  • Longtime Crazy Beagle baristas Zaonna Onstott, left, and Jillian DeHaan

Crazy Beagle has built its business with a dual commitment to customer service and consistency, serving beans roasted by DOMA in Post Falls since opening the Liberty Lake coffee stand in 2002.

A major part of that consistency is the team of five employees, led by Jillian, who was a 15-year-old high school student babysitting owner Julie Clark’s kids when “they came home one night and said, ‘Hey, do you want to work in our coffee shop?’”

That was 2004, and Jillian has now spent approximately half her life as an employee of Crazy Beagle, the past seven of those years as manager. For her, it’s difficult to imagine another work environment. Before moving to Liberty Lake, her family lived in Laramie, Wyo., where her parents owned — you guessed it — a coffee shop.

“I remember working in there as a child,” Jillian said. “I would clean dishes and make Italian sodas and stuff like that. It’s just in my blood.”

Jillian said she is most proud of the Crazy Beagle team. While they have been hit by seasons of turnover in the past, for the most part she and Assistant Manager Zaonna Onstott (five years on staff) have led a tight-knit and talented group.

“A lot of the coffee shops have a very high turnover rate — girl after girl after girl,” Jillian said. “I think it helps we have girls who have stuck around and formed relationships with customers that definitely bring the people back.”

She added that a consistent team translates to the reliability of the coffee being served.

“We’ve had a lot of comments on how every (barista) is consistent with what their drink tastes like,” Jillian said.

Regarding the team, Jillian deflects credit to Julie Clark, who not only owns Crazy Beagle but is the owner and lead veterinarian at Liberty Lake Veterinary Center on the same property. She said Dr. Clark invests regularly in the business, from a remodel 2.5 years ago that included a second machine for efficiency, to making sure each employee is well taken care of.

  • From left, Zaonna, Julie and Jillian

“Julie is awesome and everybody just loves the environment here,” Jillian said. “We get along really well, and it just makes everyone want to stick around. … I mean, I’ve been here 15 years for a reason.”

She said over the years, the business has grown steadily alongside the community. Country Vista Drive in 2002 might as well have been a barren wasteland compared to the plethora of nearby businesses, apartments and housing of 2020.

Even with the 2019 opening of Wake Up Call across the street, “we have stayed very steady,” Jillian said. “We’ve got a really solid base of customers that know us. … I think that having competition is a good thing, too, because it just forces you to up your game a little bit.”

THE NAME

Dr. Clark was pursuing her veterinary studies at Washington State University when a group of research beagles came through the school.

“I don’t want to criticize because I don’t really understand everything, but it was all a bunch of beagles, and they were doing brain surgery on them to develop a procedure for people that had brain problems like epilepsy,” Dr. Clark said.

She was able to adopt one of the beagles.

“He had one brain surgery — we called him crazy, and that’s the Crazy Beagle name,” she said. “It was after a real beagle who had brain surgery.”

THE VIBE

Dr. Clark loves the festive and creative nature of Crazy Beagle Coffee, an attribute she credits to her team.

“This reflects their personality a lot, and I think that’s why it does so well,” she said.

The stand is always decorated for the latest theme or holiday, with a list of specials designed to keep with the spirit, inspired by everything from St. Patrick’s Day to The Office to Harry Potter and beyond.

Crazy Beagle also loves to do drawings and giveaways, partnering with fellow Liberty Lake businesses whenever possible, such as a recent Valentines promotion in partnership with Epic Hair and Barber.

“Liberty Lake is so community oriented, and I love being a part of that,” Jillian said. “I grew up out here in Liberty Lake. For me, it’s home. My parents still live in the same house I grew up in.”

THE TOP PICK

Like most coffee stands, drink orders cover the gamut, but Jillian said Americanos are probably the most common selection. Sauces — and particularly caramel — are more popular than syrups these days. As people look for increasingly dietary-based options, non-dairy milks have exploded in popularity.

For the non-coffee crowd, the Red Bull and Lotus energy drinks are a common order.

On the food front, Crazy Beagle sells a lot of breakfast sandwiches and muffins, Jillian added.

  • Lotus energy drink
  • Zaonna and Jillian

THE CULT FAVORITE

Among the items that have a smaller but loyal following, Jillian noted an increase in the number of people ordering drinks made with oat milk as well as those who add Keto-friendly MCT Oil Powders to their coffee. One that she has a harder time explaining, though, is a bit of a rabid following for the Crazy Beagle granita.

“It isn’t overly popular just because it’s a slushee drink,” she said, “but we’ve gotten comments that we have the best granitas around, and I’m not sure why. I don’t know what we do differently. We definitely sell more in the summer, but we have a couple customers that get them every single day. It’s not the most popular drink, but it does have a following.”

THE TEAM

Of the five employees, the newest Crazy Beagle staffer is coming up on one year on the job. Jillian also listed the partnerships with DOMA and the Coffee Warehouse as critical to allowing the stand to provide a consistently excellent product.

THE TIME WHEN

Every once in a while, someone will come by not for coffee but with a certain breed of dog riding shotgun.

“They will say, ‘we actually have a crazy beagle’ and ask if they can take a picture with our sign,” said Jillian, adding several beagle owners have offered their pet as the company mascot.

THE INFO


22026 E. Country Vista Drive, Liberty Lake
@crazybeaglecoffee on Facebook
@crazybeaglecoffeeco on Instagram

  • Thanks to Dr. Julie Clark and her team for sharing the Crazy Beagle Coffee story with me — along with a delicious oat milk latte (Oatly is my fave, and that’s what they carry)!
    — Josh Johnson (soccer jersey: Seattle Sounders FC, concealed this time because it was cold!)

While you’re here, would you do me a favor?

If you enjoy articles like this one, join the CoffeeJosh mailing list. It’s hurry-free, spam-free and also free … free. As a thanks, I’ll send you a PDF — you guessed it, free — that has 10 of the best coffee shop orders in the Spokane area. (All 10 are drinks and treats local coffee shop owners make for themselves. In this case, expect to pay for your order and feel like it was totally worth it.)

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