Behind the Scenes at Court Street Coffee

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

The sound of blenders, the aroma of coffee and the warm, inviting atmosphere of Court Street Coffee in Athens, Ohio are enough to draw in any passerby.

Debby Fulks-Larimer, owner of Court Street Coffee, allowed me to spend some time in her shop to see what goes into a small business and serving coffee, which is obviously liquid gold in the eyes of a college student.

Owning a business had been something Fulks-Larimer said she had wanted to do for a long time. After working as a dental hygenist for many years, she began to desire a change.

Court Street Coffee opened its doors on October 16, 2009 and has been brewing up a pot ever since.

"We're not up to the numbers we'd like to be, but we've only been open a little over six months," Fulks-Larimer said. "But we're getting there. They should call it the encore career because I'm not ready to retire and I wanted to do something different."

Fulks-Larimer said she got the idea from a friend in Michigan who works with Crimson Cup, which is the coffee company Court Street Coffee uses.

"I tasted her coffee and basically that's what sold me--and she was having a lot of fun doing it," Fulks-Larimer said.

Though Court Street Coffee buys it's supplies and drinks through Crimson Cup, Court Street Coffee is not a franchise, Fulks-Larimer said. It's independently owned, but Crimson Cup sent a trainer in the beginning, sets the pricing based on the cost of supplies, offers monthly promotional drinks with posters to accompany them and also sells high-tech coffee machines and equipment to the businesses.

She began by asking me what my favorite drink is so I could see just how things run. Generally it is one of the frozen drinks like the Frozen Hot Chocolate or the Frozen Court Street Mocha--both are regular menu items. But I told her I really liked the weekly special, which was the Milky Way, so she showed me how they make them.

For the weekly specialty drinks, she said the employees make up ideas themselves and write down the ingredients on the counter.

First, she added in the mixtures and a cup of ice...

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

Then, she added the flavors...

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

Mixed it all in a blender...

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

Poured it in a cup...

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

Decorated it...

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

Finally, she showed me the neat, pressurized washer they used to clean the blender in between uses...

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

As business picked up, she showed me the machines they use to make many of the mixed coffee and tea drinks.

First the machine grinds the beans. Then, to tamp coffee, unlike other local coffee shops, they use a machine. She told me it tamps at a consistent pressure each time because they brew their espresso shots between 22 and 27 seconds.

Each employee might tamp differently, she said, which would throw off the time of brewing. So the machine eliminates that.

"It's called pulling a shot in barista terms," Fulks-Larimer said.

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

One unique thing about the shop is that they recycle their leftover coffee and coffee grounds. Ray Leard, owner of Purely American Composting, picks up the grounds twice a week to use in a special type of composting.

Fulks-Larimer, who still subs as a dental hygienist and works for the health department, said the best thing about having a coffee shop is getting to see new customers each day.

"Meeting and seeing people, I really enjoy that. There are new faces every day, plus repeat customers," Fulks-Larimer said. "And then having people tell you that it's really good coffee, which was the reason for opening a coffee shop."

She also shares an upbeat, friendship-demeanor with her student employees.

"It's a lot of fun having the college kids here and energetic, but the bad part of that is I know they will only be here a short time and then they will graduate and move on," Fulks-Larimer said.

One of her employees, Whitney Walker, who graduated from Ohio University during winter quarter, said she enjoys the atmosphere of the shop.

"I like how people are able to come in here and sit down and relax and take a break from whatever they're doing," Walker said. "I also like it because there's not a whole lot of people that work here so you get really close with them and Debby's a really good boss."

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

Fulks-Larimer and Walker behind the counter at Court Street Coffee

The Verdict: Court Street Coffee has become my favorite coffee shop on campus, not only because of the coffee, but because of the inviting atmosphere. I love that Debby always remembers my name and they're always so friendly and polite.

Best Paired With: You guessed it, a Frozen Milky Way!