Today we’d like to introduce you to Marissa Aversa.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Awkward Coffee began as an idea from my wife, Grace. We both were working in the mental health/substance abuse industry during the pandemic, which began taking tools on our personal mental health. Grace decided to give back the best she could and started school to be a first responder. She was studying late at night and was having difficulty finding a place to study, get coffee, and feel safe. She mentioned to me that we should open a pop-punk-themed donut shop where people could go to feel safe. I personally knew nothing about making donuts but began flirting with the idea.
As a good millennial, caffeine is a central point in my life. After a few sleepless nights, grinding on an initial business plan, I presented my wife and our mutual friend, Jessica, with the first Awkward Coffee business model. We all knew we wanted to tie in our passions for helping people and giving back with our love for coffee-focused drinks. Being from New Jersey, I wanted to have some east coast influence, which led us to finding our roaster, Yo Zooma!, who donates proceeds to assist shelter dogs. We felt right at home working with Zooma, Michelle, and Diane to come up with our Awkward Blend coffee. Jessica took the lead with our creative planning, having a background in owning retail businesses. After a few months and scouting over 150 locations, we settled in Chatsworth for our first location. We all fell in love with the opportunity to add to the growing small business’ on Devonshire, as well as the free parking and outdoor patio. Our construction began in August of 2021 and finished in February of 2022. We began building our team in May, bringing on our initial baristas and our team lead MJ. Our grand opening was May 15th, 2022.
Since opening, we have continued to grow, adding new food to the menu as well as seasonal drinks and community favorites. Our most popular drinks are our dirty little secret (dirty chai latte) and our knuckle puck (shaken espresso). Our pop-punk theme is all over the shop, from our art on the wall to funko pop collection, as well as our drink names.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Our biggest challenge has been opening our new business during a global pandemic. Navigating the different obstacles which arose during the building and planning process has been difficult as well as engaging the community to come back into the shops.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My family has owned Mike’s Subshop in Keyport, New Jersey since the ’60s. My grandfather opened the shop and continues to work there to this day. My father has worked there his whole life and helped instill had working principals to me since I was a little girl. Going to work with my dad were some of my fondest memories. When I was old enough, I began working more consistently at the store and had the opportunity to work directly with my grandmother, learning the operations of running a business. I took these skills to the retail industry, where I worked in management until I moved to California in 2016, where I began my personal path with sobriety. I decided to walk away from the food service/retail industry, to work with others by giving back and sharing my own personal struggles. I quickly grew in the SUD world, starting as an overnight technician in sober living, to being an operations director for an outpatient facility in The Valley. I was known for working directly with the client population, running prevention groups, and administrating the intake process. Working directly with people while they begin to navigate the extremely difficult process of getting sober is what led me to advocate for mental health awareness and substance abuse. I am set apart from others by my candid approach to who I am. I wear my heart on my sleeve and have no issues sharing my personal experiences if it means helping a fellow person continue to live one more day. Suicide prevention is something I try to bring awareness to every day at the shop.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
I am a huge sports fan. Whether it’s football, golf, the Olympics, CrossFit or really anything sports related, I tend to use sports to help create a healthy work/life balance. The Rick Sheils Gold Podcast, Good Good podcast, Seven Podcast are some great ones. When it comes to assisting with my mental health, I try to get to the golf course whenever I can. I am a huge football fan, my favorite team being the New York Jets. I love to read sports biographies.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.awkwardcoffeela.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awkwardcoffee_la/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/Awkward-Coffee-100229902278148/?ref=nf&hc_ref=ARQaibo0Me5oJ9Mzhfut9aRUiZikZO-JZrROLwumSNi5b2bcm8TC1sWW7Pl2LpaRasg
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/awkward-coffee-chatsworth
