“The response was great,” and although from the start the Turners believed that food was secondary, now meals rival coffee sales. “We’re just now getting to the point where we can leave for consecutive hours” throughout the business day that starts at 5 a.m., noted John.Sunday “sometimes it rivals our weekdays...we have regulars who come in every single day at the exact same time,” he added.Regulars also utilize the now 300-plus cards kept in a countertop file that gives customers their 10th coffee free and sometimes even some fun.To some the cards “have become like a game,” irresistible to pranksters who misfile the cards of those they know, said Roslynn.“We have people who come to visit, we know their favorites and we’ve gotten to meet a lot of really neat people...we’ve learned that Santa Paula has a ton of history and colorful characters,” said Roslynn.“For some the shop is like an extended family...we’ve met so many people we never would have without this,” Jon noted. “It’s like we’ve lived here forever,” although he did live briefly in the city as a child.The Turners both appreciate Santa Paula’s small town charm.“When I look at the Mill Street mural (depicting Santa Paula shortly after the turn of the century), that is exactly how the town still is, still feels like...it’s a great place,” he said. “Since we’ve opened, sometimes I feel we’re in some cheesy movie” watching the delighted faces of new customers eyeing the pastries, gifts and music section as well as the unique layout of the shop where customer service is king.The Turners are excited about the city’s future and potential, noting that several people have stopped in to tell of their own thoughts of opening a Main Street business.“It will be interesting to watch how the town changes” with growth and rising tourism, said Jon. “We’re excited....”
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Jon and Roslynn Turner have opened up the Santa Paula Coffee Company at 943 E. Main Street. Photo by Debbie Johnson |
Santa Paula Coffee Company opens on Main Street
November 11, 2005
Santa Paula News
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula TimesCoffee and conviction - as well as smoothies, sandwiches, salads and pastries - have paid off for the owners of the Santa Paula Coffee Company at 943 E. Main St., a smash success since it opened less than four months ago.Roslynn and Jon Turner of Santa Paula finalized plans to open the espresso bar last year while traveling home from their honeymoon.Although Jon is a civil engineer and Roslynn a marine biologist, it wasn’t a real stretch as their mothers - friends for decades - were respectively involved in a bakery and a delicatessen.“I thought we had the pastry thing nailed” noted Jon, whose mother owns Siblings’ Bakery in Ventura. “Roslynn is a vegetarian and wanted more selection,” a key to the coffee company’s menu.“We decided on Santa Paula because we live here,” after moving from Ventura, noted Roslynn. “There wasn’t anything here like what we wanted to do,” although people weren’t exactly supportive, including those who noted that Santa Paula already had another such establishment. “When we’d say we were going to open up in Santa Paula they’d say ‘Why?’ But tell me I can’t do it and I’ll do it better.”At first the couple was discouraged to find out how expensive the renovation would be, but a friendly contractor told them they could save greatly if they did much of the work.“Roslynn quit her job to be our general contractor,” at one point handling nine subcontractors, said Jon.Local contractors, including Chris Wilson and Gil Segovia, were a great help on the work that the Turners left to the experts, not that there wasn’t at least one job they wished they hadn’t tackled, laying 2,200 square feet of six different styles of floor tile.“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” laughed Roslynn.“Coffee is really easy to make but really easy to screw up,” so Jon said they installed a full reverse osmosis unit to bring out the best in the beans.“We had the idea that there has to be a following somewhere and when we opened the doors they started coming in,” noted Roslynn.In May, even though the store was still “rubble”, the Turners offered free samples on Cruise Nite.
