We LOVE Happy Customers!

We closed early today due to the holiday weekend. A customer came to the door 45 minutes after close and walked away looking discouraged. I chased her out into the parking lot and invited her in. She was hoping to get one of our world famous chicken salad sandwiches. SO, WE MADE IT FOR HER!!! :)

Nothing is better than a happy customer....

I’m not a coffee snob!

Owning a coffee shop that serves really great coffee and high quality products does not automatically make you a coffee snob. I spent twelve years in the US Navy, drinking some of the worst coffee on the planet! It came in big 5 gallon metal tins, painted an army green color. They looked like they were surplus coffee stores from WW1… When a new five gallon tin was opened, the first pot or two of java was almost as good as a cup of Folgers Crystals - - - nearly, but not quite. After that, it was all downhill. The canisters did not re-seal, so the remaining bazillion pounds of coffee would be exposed to the atmosphere until it was gone. It was dry to start with, and would become so dry that it should have been a fire hazard. It was like making coffee with old, shredded tree bark. And let me tell you, the “atmosphere” on a submarine was not the kind of air you want your lungs basking in, let alone your coffee… We used a chemical called mono-ethanol-amine in the CO2 scrubbers. It was essential to convert CO2 into Oxygen (which really helps with that whole staying-alive-thing), but it would permeate the atmosphere. Your body acclimates to the smells of a submarine, to where you don’t even notice them anymore. However, you could taste the MEA in the coffee, because the open canister would soak it all up, along with the diesel fuel smells, probably lots of sweat and body odor, and lots of other not-so-inviting smells on a submarine. So, short story long, I know how to drink crummy coffee…
Fast forward to modern times, and I’ve had lots of bad coffee. I can drink McDonald’s Iced Coffee with vanilla (however, their espresso drinks are horrible and rely solely on sugar and whipped cream to have any appeal to the masses), office coffee, restaurant coffee, etc… There is lots of bad coffee out there, just waiting for us. Tracy and I were daring enough to try the new iced coffee at 7-11 the other day. We were there with our three boys, along with a few other neighborhood kids, to get Slurpees after a hike in Palmer Park. We filled a cup with ice, and then filled it with their ‘iced coffee’ concoction. It was a little thick and syrupy, but we were willing to try it with open minds. Well, one little tiny sip later, we closed our minds quickly, and very tightly… Our minds and our mouths slammed shut and had to be pried open again with a weed whacker… That stuff was horrid!!! It was like putting a cup of flavored Coffee Mate liquid stuff over ice. COMPLETELY NASTY. So, I’m not a coffee snob, but I do have standards – very low, but still, there has to be a stopping point. We didn’t have access to an ingredient list, but I’ll bet it was mostly high fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors.
If you find yourself at 7-11 and the new iced coffee catches your attention, you will be better off going up front and asking someone to slam your fingers in the door… You will enjoy that more than the iced coffee…

Thanks to all of our customers, new and old!

The last couple of years have been very dynamic, and I expect the foreseeable future to be the same. We build a strong customer base, and then massive layoffs occur in the surrounding business community. We work hard to rebuild our customer base, and along comes another round of layoffs. We have also had two Dutch Brothers Coffee drive through locations open within a mile of us. Through all of the challenges that keep popping up, we are still hanging in there. Not only that, but Friday was a near record day for us. With sales being down a little from our 2009 numbers, this was a very pleasant surprise!

So at this point, I’d just like to give a simple “Thank You” to everyone who has been to Nemo’s Coffee. If you have noticed us but haven’t been in yet, we are looking forward to meeting you and making something really great for you to enjoy!

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Free Advertising

So tell me, what is the best type of advertising? There are many angles you could take to answer this question, but the best answer is the type that works! If it gets people in the door, then it is great advertising. However, we have found that advertising is incredibly expensive!! Print advertising is very pricey, and our culture is moving away from print media at an amazing speed, as if it has Ebola or something... We are reluctant to spend $1500-$2000 for print advertising, per publication. Today, I’m going to talk a little about FREE advertising... If you can get people in the door for FREE, I would say that is the ULTIMATE kind of exposure.

With that in mind, I have begun a Facebook campaign in the last couple of weeks. We currently have just over 300 ‘friends’, and that number is growing. I have been specifically sending friendship requests to people in our immediate area. They are our biggest potential for daily, repeat business, so that seems like a great place to start. Do we want to be friends with someone in Seattle? Sure, why not, but we are not going to see them walk through the front door, are we?

It is too early to tell if there has been any impact, but I’m going to keep at it and see what happens. It requires a little effort, but the price is exactly right! In this economy, we need to work every angle that we can to survive these lean times. Every single customer is highly important, and every new face that walks in the door is our key to surviving!

What I want to avoid is over-exposure. I don’t want people to ‘hide’ us, or ‘un-friend’ us because of a steady stream of insincere plugs for our business. I am trying to add a little bit of a personal touch to the posts, highlight the fact that we serve food, not just coffee, and especially to highlight the fact that our food is home-made! I am also adding freebies in the posts, just to keep everyone’s attention and to create some buzz. I want people to look forward to reading a Nemo’s post, not to scan past it without reading it!

Here is a sampling of some of my Facebook posts over the last couple of weeks...

We just made a fresh batch of chicken salad for lunch… We pressure cook and shred the chicken ourselves, so it is moist and tender. …not that stringy, fake-chicken stuff out of a can. Add some purple onion and craisins (both are optional), Provolone cheese, green leaf lettuce, and a little spice, and you have the makings of an amazing sandwich. Get yours on a croissant, or on organic sunflower wheat bread!

I smell fresh scones and muffins coming out of the oven. Yes, made here at Nemo's, from scratch!! Come to think of it, I also smell some amazing espresso headed for a large latte...

Nemo's is ready to make your lunch! Made to order sandwiches including Chicken Salad, Turkey/Bacon/Swiss/Avocado, Ham and cheese with home-made honey mustard spread, AWESOME burritos, HUGE salads with chicken, feta cheese, craisins, purple onion, sliced almonds and home-made cornbread scones...

Come to Nemo's... We can help!


As always, everything is home-made and made to order!! We put extra smiles in our food, just in case you need some for the afternoon.


James Baldrick is Nemo's 300th friend! I think that is worth a free coffee! Print this page out and bring it in for a free cup of java!! ...but only if you are James! LOL

Good morning everybody!! Don't forget, we are giving away lunch for two and a pound of coffee this week. Stop in at Nemo's to register for the drawings!! What is better than winning lunch for you and a friend???

If you are feeling sluggish on Monday morning, stop in at Nemo's for some much needed caffeine! Try a Southwest Meatless Breakfast Burrito while you are at it!!
Congrats to Jason Opp, this week's prize winner at Nemo's Coffee!

Jason has won lunch for two, and as you know, the sandwiches, soup, salads, and burritos are all delicious (and home-made)!! Fridays are always great, but getting free food makes today even better!!
Thanks to everyone else who participated in last week’s drawing, and keep trying in our upcoming drawings!

We are having our first weekly drawings today for a FREE POUND OF COFFEE, and FREE LUNCH FOR TWO!! If you would like to be in next week’s drawing, stop in for details!
I smell coffee brewing... :)

Breakfast burritos.... Yummy! Go regular or go Southwest Meatless Burrito, but definitely go burrito this morning! All home made at Nemo's... Have an awesome day!

Purchase a large smoothie or Iceberg (Frapuccino for those who only speak *$) after 2pm and enter to win a FREE POUND OF COFFEE! Drawings will be weekly. Stop in and get in on the action! Everybody loves FREE STUFF!

Nemo's now offers a yogurt parfait with homemade honey oat granola, as well as blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries!! Perfect for those days when you don't want a burrito or pastry for breakfast!


We are playing the movie "Up" today at Nemo's... If you are just waking up and need some coffee and a breakfast burrito, come and see us!!

Tracy made a new vegetarian breakfast burrito today at Nemo's. Rice, eggs, black beans, corn, tomato, green chilies, onion, cheddar cheese, and a special mix of spices! Come in Monday and try a Southwest Meatless Burrito at Nemo's! ...and, as always, everything is homemade!

Tracy makes her chicken salad by pressure cooking and shredding the chicken herself, then adding all the good stuff to make it awesome!! She puts extra smiles in it, just in case you need a few...

Is Life Fair?

I recently saw a post on Facebook where someone was wondering “if the end of the road is any better than the beginning.” I have no idea if they were being serious or not, but it made me think about life.

Since the very beginning of time, the World has presented the same incredible opportunities, as well as the same crummy pitfalls. As culture and technology have changed throughout the centuries, the opportunities and pitfalls have taken on a different appearance, but they are the same in nature all the way back to the beginning of time. With regard to the beginning, middle, and end of the road, they can be comparatively worse, better, unrelated… The really cool thing is that each of us as individuals get to choose. Our choices, thoughts, spoken words, actions, efforts, lack of effort, and everything else we do (or don’t do) has an effect on where our life path goes. Some people seem to make the same choices, but have different outcomes. Some are good, some not so good…

Is it fair? What does that mean, really? If your attitude depends on whether or not you have been treated fairly, you had better be ready for some serious upheavals in your life. My kids have a certain fascination with fairness. Who gets to sit by the window, who gets to choose what to watch on tv, who gets new shoes, who stays home from school if they are sick, who got to stay up until 9:00pm and who didn’t… Sometimes it is enough to drive us crazy. Life has circumstances. Sometimes they are convenient; sometimes they are just plain irritating. Fair? Unfair? Does it really matter?

If I hear someone complaining about life being unfair, I like to ask them if they were breathing when they woke up. The answer is always ‘yes’ (since I don’t spend much time talking to dead people). I respond with, “Then life was fair to you today.” Once you get out of bed and get moving, life is just life. It is not fair or unfair. It just is…

So my recommendation is to un-hinge your attitudes and your idea of happiness from life’s circumstances. Get up everyday, check for that first breath of fresh air, smile, and then get on with it (and don’t forget to brush your teeth). Choose to be happy. Choose to have a great attitude. Choose to smile, even if you can’t think of a reason to. You will find it is contagious. If you have great things happening in your life, enjoy them. If things aren’t so good, roll up your sleeves and tackle your problems with a smile. Enjoy the challenge. Don’t be afraid to make a change or two. Many people are unhappy and dissatisfied because they constantly try to shoehorn their same old life into changing circumstances. Chances are, that is not going to work out for you.

What is the point of this, you might ask? None, really. Just the ramblings of a middle-aged-white-guy, married-with-children, going about life, doing his best.

Here’s the thing, though. Listen closely…
I’ve learned the secret to happiness.

Choose to be happy, and you will be. There, that’s it. Sounds simple, right. It actually is, in fact! Try it; you just might like it. Stop worrying about whether or not life is fair. If you find yourself asking that question, take a deep breath. That is your answer...

2010 vs. 2009

As we approached 2009, the housing market was at the height of its collapse, Obama had just been elected, major firms were being bailed out left and right while others were allowed to fail, many people were losing their jobs... Tracy and I agreed that we would continue to work hard, make the best coffee and food, provide great service, and leave it all in God's hands. Our hope was to survive lean times and look forward to a better 2010.
Well, 2009 came and went with all of its horrible economic news, and having to watch Congress and the Administration make move after move that will further cripple the economy. We've seen so many regulars disappear as a result of lay-offs and relocations around us. The recovery we were hoping for by 2010 has not arrived. Educating ourselves on economic policy and keeping track of current events leads us to believe we have not seen the worst yet.

So, we are back in the same place we were at the start of 2009. The economy looks bleak, and we are trusting in God's will in our lives. There is a big difference between that and trusting in God to provide what we want. Accepting and even anticipating God's will takes away the stress of wondering what will happen. We continue to do our best in order to honor God, and we will see where it goes. As I noted at the end of January, our JAN2010 sales beat JAN2009 sales by just a little, even though it was not expected. In mid-February, I would have said there is no way we will beat last year. Well, it looks like we are going to do just that! How exciting is this??? If you are concerned about what you have going on in your life, exercise your faith, have trust that God has your back, be willing to accept His plan in your life as opposed to your own, and enjoy the ride!

How to get a free coffee!

I Googled Nemo's Coffee to see what I would find... The first item that came up was a link to this review, dated January 30, 2010:

By Christopher

"The coffee is great. The atmosphere is small and cozy with various chairs, comfortable couches, and a set of cool theater seats. While the scones look very good (diet prohibits these treats), I most enjoy their homemade breakfast burritos and salsa. The owners are very genuine. They've even treated me with respect on my most grouchy days. Good music, good TV even (was watching Bob Ross paint happy trees one day). The place is clean. I'd bring friends here and visit regularly, making this a 5 star coffee shop in my book.‎"

I'm happy that Christopher enjoys our shop so much. There are a number of review sites for local restaurants and I'd love to see more reviews out there. If you post a review of Nemo's Coffee somewhere, print it out and bring it in and we'll give you a free coffee (or a discount equal to a coffee on something else)!