116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
My Biz: Brewed Awakenings staff likes to get to know their customers
CEDAR RAPIDS - At Brewed Awakenings on First Avenue, a large blackboard is needed to list all the flavors, aftertastes and aromas a customer may encounter.
Larry Janda, who with his wife Junetta has owned the shop for almost three years, said they have the 'best coffee in town.”
Janda, 73, who used to own Janda Electric Motor Service, but sold that company in 2002, said he bought Brewed Awakenings to stay busy and keep working.
'I still had this entrepreneurial spirit within in me,” he said, adding he likes interacting with his employees and enjoys bringing a grandfatherly image to the business.
The shop, across the street from Coe College, rotates its selections, which come from PT'S Coffee Roasting Co. in Topeka, Kan.
'We've made sure that we tried to stick with the best coffee for the customers,” said Assistant Manager Amy Brown. 'They definitely know they are getting a good cup of coffee when they come in here.”
The shop also serves pastries and lunch items that are made on site. Junetta Janda said she hopes to place a higher emphasis on catering in the future.
Brewed Awakenings derives a lot of its business from Coe students and professors, Brown said. She added what sets the shop apart is that its employees have time to get to know their customers.
'We know a lot of our customers by name; right when they walk in the door we are saying ‘hi' to them,” Brown said.
Janda agreed, saying the shop is a place where friends and acquaintances can meet up or meet new people.
'Brewed Awakenings is a place where people come to see and be seen,” he said.
Brown said the shop tries to find ways to bolster business during the summer when Coe College is not in session and there are fewer customers. She said she hopes the shop still is in business several years from now and has a further chance to expand.
A second Brewed Awakenings location at St. Luke's Hospital draws hospital staff and patient's families.
AT A GLANCE
' Business: Brewed Awakenings
' Owners: Larry and Junetta Janda
' Address: 1271 First Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids
' Phone: (319) 363-4333
' Website: http://brewedcrew.com/
A board shows the coffee selection available July 30 at Brewed Awakenings in southeast Cedar Rapids.
Jim Slosiarek photos/The Gazette Barista Brooke Dixson enjoys creating foam art as she makes an espresso macchiato July 30 at Brewed Awakenings in southeast Cedar Rapids. The coffee shop along with another location at St. Luke's Hospital was bought by Larry Janda and his wife, Junetta.
Barista Brooke Dixson enjoys creating foam art as she makes an espresso macchiato at Brewed Awakenings in southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Thursday, July 30, 2015. The coffee shop along with another location at St. Luke's Hospital was bought by Larry Janda and his wife Junetta. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
Barista Brooke Dixson enjoys creating foam art as she makes an espresso macchiato at Brewed Awakenings.
Customers have a conversation at Brewed Awakenings in southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Thursday, July 30, 2015. The coffee shop along with another location at St. Luke's Hospital was bought by Larry Janda and his wife Junetta. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
Notes from patrons are seen in the pages of a guestbook at Brewed Awakenings in southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Thursday, July 30, 2015. The coffee shop along with another location at St. Luke's Hospital was bought by Larry Janda and his wife Junetta. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
Barista Brooke Dixson pours coffee beans into a hopper at Brewed Awakenings in southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Thursday, July 30, 2015. The coffee shop along with another location at St. Luke's Hospital was bought by Larry Janda and his wife Junetta. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
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