I was closing up 602 tonight, staying a little later to ensure our towels were properly (and safely) dried, and as I waited, I sat down at a lone booth and took a good look around me.
We did this.
My family did this.
I haven't really had the chance to sit down by myself and take in what we created; but tonight, I had time to really absorb all the hard work and see where we put our money and how well it paid off.
From my mom's seedling of an idea to buy a train car to play in, we have somehow successfully managed to not only open brew@602, but we are solidly running it merely three weeks after first inviting people on board. And they're all loving it!
How we managed to stay on track during the rushes, temperature problems, work flow kinks, running out of supplies (like eggs for waffle batter and beans for coffee), and unexpected transition from coffee shop to cafe, is beyond me, but we did it. And we’re still standing strong at the end of the day (if not a little exhausted).
I never anticipated how successful this journey would be, and I never knew how much one could grow in just a few short weeks.
For the longest time, I couldn't see past my own preconceived ideas on how my life should be. I complained about staying in Alaska, and it was hard for me to imagine my stay at home paying off in any sort of way. Boy was I wrong, and man did I grow!
I've not only stepped up in my role as Assistant Manager, but I've taken all that I learned at Kaladi Brothers for the past six years and applied it in any applicable way, also learning the new ways of third wave coffee preparation (forever grateful to SteamDot Coffee for changing my perspective on coffee-ology!).
I know that at times, I wish I could wear more of my closet to work, and I will forever wish for more time spent writing to you and delighting in some of my indulgences, but in all honesty, I enjoy going to work every day.
Greeting people as they enter our doors with smiles on their faces, making customers specialty coffee beverages that my mom and I creatively named (like the Midnight Sun Mocha and Clickity Clack Chai), and doing it all in a unique 1954 Alaska Railroad train car setting... it's all worth the time.
I encourage you to come visit, if from near or far. I hope that, like me, it'll take you on a journey you're not likely to forget...
Welcome aboard!
