Count it all joy
Septembers are special around here. Back in September 2019, Jeronica and I were feeling like we needed a push to accelerate our path to opening Nirvana Soul. We were SO CLOSE, but everything suddenly felt WAY harder. We had an arbitrary open date of December 31, 2019 in mind, and we didn’t even have a location (or funding, for that matter) secured. So we went into Super September mode. (Here’s how it went.)
By the following September, we were celebrating our grand opening in Downtown San Jose! It meant so much to us. And now, every September is a celebration!
This month is no different. Our two year anniversary/birthday is on September 26, 2022. To celebrate that weekend, we’ll have music, small business vendors, merch, and specials – this time at TWO locations! As we’ve grown this past year, we’ve faced so many new challenges; stuff fell apart, and stuff fell into place. Overall, we’re this crazy combination of exhausted and excited. We’re optimistic and we’re grateful!
And as it so happens, we’re back in Super September mode as we roll out new processes, policies, and technologies. None of this is easy. Over the last few weeks we’ve had tough conversations, made very tough decisions, and marched forward in ways that we know not everyone agrees with. It’s been really, really hard. But we can do hard things!
This blog isn’t about the hard things though. This blog is about the great things! The things that bring us joy and remind us what Nirvana Soul is all about.
Joy is radical. It’s omnipresent and healing, even in the most trying of times. And no one can take it from us. We knew that back in September 2019 when we were struggling to secure our loan. We knew that back in September 2020 when we were terrified no one would show up to our grand opening in a pandemic. We count it all joy!
So here are a few of the things that have brought us joy lately, in no particular order:
PCH Shaved Ice
Pacific Coast Hawaiian Shave Ice is a family owned authentic shave ice and boba shop near Pismo Beach. We met their founder, Diane, back in October 2021 when she reached out to us on Instagram. (See message below, posted with permission.) Diane was getting out of education and had a dream to start her own business. She was at a crossroads. (We knew that spot well.) So we jumped on a Zoom and chatted through it.
(Sidebar: Jeronica and I LOVE talking to aspiring business owners. We didn’t know who to turn to when we were trying to figure things out, and whenever a business owner was kind enough to share their experience with us, we were all over it!)
Thus began our budding friendship. Diane would chat with us about their progress and we’d watch on Instagram from afar, encouraging each other along the way. We finally got a chance to meet in person – once Downtown, then again at our Cupertino grand opening when Diane drove up to celebrate with us! PCH Shave Ice was underway too: she and her family had their location and were renovating the space.
Fast forward to July, and it was our turn to hit the road. Diane was celebrating: PCH Shave Ice was OPEN, and to a line out the door! Everything was so good!! And beyond the handcrafted treats, the spirit that existed in her space was felt throughout. It was undeniable! Customers were chatting with each other and taking photos and enjoying something so special to Diane. It was a beautiful thing to see! Count it all joy.
Events
We’ve been fortunate to develop partnerships with several companies throughout the valley in such a short period of time. Many of these have come about from happy customers who work at these companies and campaign to get our coffee in their offices. It’s a reminder how interconnected we all are, and how operating from shared values makes such a difference. We truly are in this together.
Lately, we’ve been popping up at LinkedIn and Intuit. If you’ve read our previous posts, you might recall that Jeronica used to be a barista at LinkedIn. (That was actually the job she had before she went full-time at Nirvana Soul – back in March 2020, right as shelter-in-place rules were enacted.) Jeronica made so many friends at LinkedIn who she’s still close to today, and they’ve been incredibly supportive of us as we continue to grow our business. Being part of their vendor list for pop-ups is incredibly satisfying, and totally full-circle!
And we have SO MUCH FUN at these events. Getting a chance to be in more places and with more people who might enjoy our coffee is such a cool experience. There is nothing more exciting than when a regular customer discovers we’re at their job!
Which happens pretty often at Intuit where they’ve rebranded one of their campus cafes into a Nirvana Soul; they serve a menu of popular drinks using our coffee, and it’s still pretty surreal to see. Recently, they even shared our story in video and blog formats that they created from interviews with us. Much of this is because of NS customer and Intuit cafe supervisor Kat who advocated for us from the very beginning. Relationships matter, and they bring us so much joy. (Thank you, Kat!)
Customers
Oh, man. I’m not sure I can even express the fullness of joy we receive from customers. Like, in the best and worst of times, our customers have been solid. They show up, they stand by, and they rock with us hard. More than they know, they encourage us to get up and keep going every day.
It is the ultimate blessing of this business to have created such strong bonds with strangers – many of whom have become regulars and even friends. They too are dreamers, if even deep down inside. And this goes beyond people who have spent their hard-earned money with us to folks who only know us online or because of an article they read or because of someone who simply told them we existed. There is truly nothing like it.
The messages and reviews we receive always seem to come right on time. As transparent as we are, we don’t share everything. Some stuff we have to carry on our own, as does every other small business owner who is trying to stay afloat in these times and do the right (hard) things. It’s a fraternity of sorts. (An even smaller one for Black business owners.) And we know all too well how easy it is for folks to forget there are actual human beings behind these businesses. But it’s through the kindness of others that we all feel seen.
Thank you, customers. The joy is real.
Cupertino dogs
This one is just kinda cute. We LOVE dogs. And even to focus just on Cupertino dogs doesn’t feel quite fair. However, I was sitting in Cupertino the other day and in came a little brown dog who swore we were all there for him. Like this entire Nirvana Soul operation was set up for us to see, pet, and love him. (He wasn’t totally wrong.) He refused to leave without greeting every single customer and barista in the shop, so much so that his human was literally dragging him away from people. (Eventually he gave in and they went table by table to say hello until the dog was satisfied, of course.)
Another time, in walks a giant husky on their own. No leash, no owner. Just comes right in from the heat outdoors and plops down in the middle of the floor.
Seconds later, their human comes behind them, apologetically making conversation about who we are and what we do. We told her it was fine and that dogs really love it here. I had to get a photo.
And we can’t forget Scooter who is on a regular Friday pup-cup regimen, and he NEVER forgets. If anything, he tries to get you to forget what day it is, as he and his human come in everyday. You might’ve seen Scooter at the register or waiting (im)patiently for us to make his puppuccino on our Instagram.
We had someone leave a review that Cupertino was like a petting zoo! Maybe because it’s in a more suburban area and neighbors just happen to have more dogs, but it is true that there are A LOT of dogs there. So far, it’s been cool. They’re well behaved and friendly – and we can’t get enough of all the joy they infuse in the shop. So many smiles all around!
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I went back and read all of our blogs recently. I was on the fence about if these posts were still relevant or helpful or even wanted. Then Jeronica, Dap, and I happened to watch an episode of Hart to Heart, Kevin Hart’s interview show, and Tyler Perry was his guest. In the episode, Perry spoke about how he continued to create even as he received criticism from people of all backgrounds because he knew what his ultimate goal was. He held strong to his vision and he believed in himself and his why. Now he’s one of the only, if not the only, Black owners of a major production studio. (Superhero movies are shot there!)
I believe the universe sends us signs and gives us the nudges we need. I also believe joy is all around us. We see it in our team when they chase their own dreams and speak up for themselves. We saw it in the Girl Scouts who visited us and ooh’d and aww’d when touring the shop, asking questions, and drinking smoothies. We also see it in each other when we can laugh at the end of a long and crazy day.
When we look up and notice the joy that exists in each situation, person, or animal, we can recall that struggle doesn’t have to define us. Our stories are so much more complex and far more beautiful than that.
We hope you’ll notice the joy all around you too. And that you’ll hold your vision and do hard things and celebrate throughout. Thanks for rockin’ with us, as always. We appreciate YOU!
TTYS, b
The Nirvana Soul Blog is written by the owners and for other owners, dreamers, and doers. We started this blog at the beginning of 2019 to document our journey of opening a coffee shop – good, bad, and ugly – to hold ourselves accountable, and to share insights gained with other aspiring entrepreneurs. If you have any questions or feedback, kindly comment below or email us at hello@nirvanasoulcoffee.com. 💗