August 24, 2006

The Espresso Garden coddles hospitality-first mentality under new owner

By Justin Petersen
Staff Writer

Espionage paid off for The Espresso Garden, said owner Terri Cooper-Osterman.

The single mom and former Valley Christian history teacher who put a fine knowledge of humanity and robust flavor to work in order to realize a longtime dream of opening her own local coffee shop last year, said experiences she gained working at Starbuck’s made it all possible. The opportunity to buy the store surfaced after clocking in at a corporate job for a stint, while frequenting the same Espresso Garden shop as a customer throughout the past six years, since it opened originally.

Owner Teri Cooper-Osterman and employee Matt Miyaka stand guard at The Espresso Garden, across the street from Branham High School. Cooper-Osterman purchased the store last fall and has extended and expanded the friendly atmosphere. Photo by Justin Petersen

In that sense, Cooper-Osterman represents the epitome of neighborhood coffee shop mobility. She enjoyed the camaraderie, she studied the competition and now she is giving back the best of both worlds to her customers and friends, who are one in the same.

“When the first owners put it on the market several years ago, I inquired, but decided that I didn’t have the experience,” said Cooper-Osterman. “I have a passion for the coffee industry. I researched it, spent time interviewing other owners and I spent time managing a coffeehouse, learning the business, before I purchased The Espresso Garden.”

Cooper-Osterman said she enjoyed studying the different growing regions, and tasting many different blends and single origin coffees. “I enjoy sharing the coffeehouse experience with others.”

Now in her first year of business, Cooper-Osterman’s greatest task is spreading the word about the friendly coffee shop that she has injected with new life. Owner and customers alike liken The Espresso Garden to Cheer’s, where everybody knows your name and customers are friends. “Regular customers have their drinks made the moment they pull into the parking lot,” said Cooper-Osterman.

She called the atmosphere casual and described a common lounge area that is rented out to local groups for special events. “We have had holiday boutiques, scrap booking events, an open mike comedy night and a small church meets here on a regular basis.”

The groups feel so indebted to their trusted coffee depot that members of the church, in particular, have repaired the shop’s refrigerator and improved the décor personally and relatively free of charge.

But Cooper-Osterman knows that while there may be gaps between customer comforts at a Starbuck’s, there’s a store and a line on every corner. The Espresso Gardens and a dwindling number of coffee combatants still dare to turn dimes on quality coffee and offering familiar faces there to serve you.

“The business has been here a long time, the problem is that no one knows they are here,” said Cooper-Osterman. “My job is to draw them here and let them know there is a fantastic cup of coffee and a great atmosphere.”

The new owner also announced that The Espresso Garden will add a lunchtime menu, and that the shop is working with local Pioneer and Branham high schools to bring poetry slam events on site on a regular basis.

Presenting opportunity to educational facilities completed Cooper-Osterman’s trek full circle. Two years back, while she was logging laborious late-night hours each week grading papers for Valley Christian students, Cooper-Osterman recognized that her job was taking away valuable time she would rather spend raising her sons. “I never have owned a business before this one,” she said. “I left teaching high school at Valley Christian because I wanted to do something different for myself and my children.”

In looking for a way to better serve her teenage sons, Cooper-Osterman recognized that late-night hours could be exchanged for management responsibilities. “Oddly enough being a business owner allows me more time to work and spend with my kids,” she said. “I now do have the flexibility of time. I have employees so I can get my kids to school. There is constant [brain] work, but I have more time with my kids.”

Nevertheless, extenuating circumstances do intrude at odd hours. Last week, Cooper-Osterman received a call from the police department at 2 a.m. “The alarm went off at 2 a.m. I thought, ‘Oh, my goodness. I don’t want to do this but it all turned out OK. There was nothing wrong.”

Cooper-Osterman said the most enjoyable part of her job is working with others. “Our coffee is provided to us by a local roaster, Vigal, and our pastries are from a baker in Santa Clara. We want to be a small business that works together with other small businesses. I have been fortunate to have met many other small business owners over the course of the year who have always been generous with their advice and support…I don’t know if I could ever go back to a corporate job.”

The Espresso Garden specialties are the Mocha and Mocha Freeze. “We use our own special mixture of Ghiradelli chocolate and sugar to ensure that the chocolate taste will enhance the espresso, not overpower it,” said Cooper-Osterman. “We also offer the best blueberry crumb cake in town—it is truly addictive.”

The Espresso Garden is located at 4720 Meridian Ave. at Branham Lane.