Verge Coffee Co. located in North Spokane is celebrating their one year anniversary and they want all of the Spokane region friends to celebrate with them. On Thursday, February 1st as a way to thank you all for an AMAZING first year they are offering 30% off ALL drinks, ALL day. They will also be having LIVE music from 4-6pm. They would love for you all to join them. I recently visited with Krysta (she and her husband Michael own Verge) to chat about the how they started Verge and what the journey of their first year has held for them. I connected with Michael and Krysta around this time last year and visited Verge for the first time during its first week of being open. I so vividly remember how welcoming they were when I walked in and how I felt a sense of community right away. I am sure that is one of the reasons why people love Verge so much. Without further ado please enjoy getting a glimpse into Verge's journey to date.
::Tell me about the process of starting Verge, what was that journey?::
"It was definitely an interesting process. Mike had worked at the Service Station prior to Genesis Church taking ownership of the building in August of 2015. When the church took over, they were running the cafe as part of their daily operations. Mike had mentioned to them a few times that if they ever wanted to sell the cafe, that we would buy it from him. With his degree in Culinary Arts, he had been wanting to own a business in this industry and thought that a cafe would be the perfect start. In January of 2017 the church came to us and said they were shutting down the cafe or we could take ownership if we wanted it. We had to be up and running and ready to go for February as the new owners. It was a quick turnaround and a lot for me to process at 6 months pregnant! We took about 24 hours and talked to a few business owners and chatted a lot and even prayed a bit. It was a huge undertaking, but we knew we could do it. We agreed and soon after the process begun. When it came to deciding what type of coffee we would serve, the very first place that popped up in my head was Indaba. I had been there a few times before and it was my favorite place in Spokane to get coffee. I had worked in a cafe in San Diego years before and theirs was the only other place that I experienced truly great coffee. I told Mike we had to go there first. We ended up down at Indaba’s Broadway location about a week later sitting and having coffee and conversation with Bobby. The moment he started talking we could instantly feel the passion exuding from him with every word. He talked about his coffee and all of its elements in a way we had never heard before. He moved into their mission and why they do what they do and 3 hours later, we were absolutely on board. We didn’t meet with anyone else, we knew we had to do business with Indaba. Everything after that was kind of a whirlwind. Licenses were applied for and purchased, Bobby went back and forth helping us procure the right equipment to effectively make delicious coffee, and we took it a day at a time. I had been there a few times before and it was my favorite place in Spokane to get coffee. I had worked in a cafe in San Diego years before and theirs was the only other place that I experienced truly great coffee. I told Mike we had to go there first. We ended up down at Indaba’s Broadway location about a week later sitting and having coffee and conversation with Bobby. The moment he started talking we could instantly feel the passion exuding from him with every word. He talked about his coffee and all of its elements in a way we had never heard before. He moved into their mission and why they do what they do and 3 hours later, we were absolutely on board. We didn’t meet with anyone else, we knew we had to do business with Indaba. Everything after that was kind of a whirlwind. Licenses were applied for and purchased, Bobby went back and forth helping us procure the right equipment to effectively make delicious coffee, and we took it a day at a time. There were a lot of stressful moments between thoughts of, “can we afford this?” and “taxes are insane! Can we actually do this without never doing it before?” and many other things. Yet Michael and I are both the type of people to jump right in once we both agree on something. So we did. And here we are. It’s almost February 1st 2018, our one-year-anniversary. I’m still in awe. It’s been such an incredible year and we are so excited to see what 2018 has in store for us and our Mom & Pop shop. We love our community and our customers and hope to continue to bring them amazing service and coffee. We want to know each story of every guest and be a part of their lives."
::What is your favorite drink on the menu and Michael's also?:
"My favorite drink at the moment is our Lemon Lavender Latte with Coconut Milk. It tastes like a piece of lemon loaf and I can’t get enough! Michael’s favorite is the Morning Sunrise. It’s orange juice in a glass covered with two shots of espresso. It’s pretty delicious!"
::What do you love about Spokane?::
"I love that it’s big enough to feel like a large city, but also small enough to get that small-town feel. I (Krysta) am a born-and-raised Spokanite and so my love for Spokane definitely runs deep. And with all the new developments each year, my love for it is constantly growing!"
::Were there any funny or embarrassing stories that took place in your first year?::
"Gosh that’s tough! Nothing in particular stands out, but I’m sure that doesn’t mean something didn’t happen. We basically stumbled through our first year trying to figure things out so there has to be something. Haha"
::Has there been anything surprising or unexpected?::
"I think the thing that has been most surprising (in a good way) for me is the camaraderie between the cafes in Spokane. I had always thought that once you were in business, it’s survival of the fittest. But there is so much love here and it’s been so wonderful to be welcomed into the community. I never anticipated we’d get as much support as we have and it’s been awesome."
Verge Coffee Co. is located at 9315 N Neveda St. Spokane, WA 99218
OPEN Monday-Saturday 7am-7pm & Sunday 8am-1pm