Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea and Emily.
Hi Andrea and Emily, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
What a loaded question! Our dream first began when we traveled back and forth to Ireland. We just fell in love with the way we encountered hospitality in coffee shops there. We met a man who owns a shop called Third Space and we’re captivated by his story! Your first space is your home, your second is your work/school, and your third space is where you choose to spend your time. We wanted to create a space like that here in Ventura! That began our journey of dreaming, planning, visiting shops, going back to Ireland, and waiting. We both worked other jobs and definitely didn’t have buckets of money to open a coffee shop! So it was a lot of mood boards, writing down what we wanted, telling our friends and family, and just again… waiting.
Then finally, we went back to Ireland in the fall of 2019 and showed our parents the spots that fueled our inspiration. A few space opportunities came up and fell through. Then through circumstances that felt slightly miraculous but also absolutely crazy, we got the keys to our shop on May 1st of 2020. Yes, that 2020. All of our amazing friends weren’t working (for obvious reasons) and came together to help us renovate the space and we opened on May 20th, 2020! That was almost three years ago. Now we are seeing so many of our hopes and dreams for this space come to life right in front of our eyes every day.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Are roads really every smooth? You think everything is fine and BAM! Pothole.
A lot of our journey was waiting and truly operating in the idea that this shop was going to be a reality even if we didn’t actually have one yet. Waiting is never easy especially when you have such a deep passion to see something come to fruition.
There was opening in May of 2020. The world as a whole was collectively going through one of the hardest situations the world has ever seen. Our whole heart behind Lovewell is to connect, to love people, to share stories around a cup. Then all of a sudden we were living life at a distance. So we had to pivot! Like everyone else… but it wasn’t an easy road. Every day felt like something new. The world was so heavy and we had to figure out a way to carry that weight for people even in a small encounter like handing them a cup of coffee. But because of that, we became so strong so quickly as people and as a business…
We obviously learned, failed, made mistakes, and probably failed again along the way. Every bump in the road is part of our story and we wouldn’t change that.
In 2022 we lost a dear friend who was also at one point our employee to suicide. That was by far the hardest thing we’ve encountered to date. To grieve so deeply with our community was something we never could have planned for. It’s not in the handbook. To be vulnerable with this Lovewell family was one of a kind. We cried with each other, we held each other and shared memories together. It truly reminds you at the end of the day that being a business owner is not about how much money you can make or how many followers you have on whatever social media; it is about how you LOVE. It is about how you make people feel and making each moment so special because you never know what someone is going through.
As you know, we’re big fans of Lovewell Tea and Coffee. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We are a tea and coffee space in Ventura, CA and we are in the business of loving people through excellent hospitality + yummy drinks. We consider ourselves professional day makers and want to make sure every person that walks into our shop feels seen + loved. We are known for our fun seasonal menus, themed event days, and making it our life goal to remember your name! Something we are most proud of is basically all of the above, knowing who walks in our doors and if we don’t we will get to know them! We are proud of the fact that we stick to our vision and live it out every day. It’s easy to get distracted by what everyone else is doing but we focus on what we do well.
What makes you happy?
When we hear, “Wow, this feels like home.” When we see a mom finally having a moment with her cup of coffee while her child finds the bin of toys.
When strangers become family.
A really good book.
Making someone smile.
Our cat, Dublin.
Time with family.
Good cup of tea.
The perfect latte.
People watching in airports.
Food that’s so good you cry a little.
Contact Info:
- Website: Lovewellteaandcoffee.com
- Instagram: @lovewellteaandcoffee
