We Bought A Coffee Shop

Robert and I knew Jason and Jenni Duncan well before we knew each other. Jason consulted on coffee for Robert when he was with A Good Egg Dining Group opening Kitchen 324. Robert has long admired their pioneering, entrepreneurial spirit for doing coffee in the Plaza District before the Plaza District was cool, running sought after coffee catering services, and visited Cafe Evoke in downtown Edmond many times. If anyone asks Robert about coffee, he always says, “Call Jason Duncan.”

I moved to Edmond in 2012 almost simultaneously to the Duncans opening the doors of the now iconic space for Cafe Evoke in the historic downtown area. It was a regular Saturday stop for me for coffee and waffles before perusing through the farmers market or just needing to transport myself from life for a while. When I accepted the position as executive director of the Edmond Public Schools Foundation, I got to know Jason first doing coffee bars as a perk in the schools. Our shared passion for community instantly made me want to have him on the EPSF board of directors. Jason and Jenni have been friends ever since.

After the loss of our spouses, the unexpected blessing of God connecting Robert and I as well as our kids, taking a big chance of reformulating our career path by striking out on our own full time   with Spring Board... we staked our collective roots in downtown Edmond by opening an office a year ago.

The energy in Edmond is amazing! Robert and I love downtown as it’s reminiscent of being from our small hometowns of Shattuck and Noble, Okla. It’s hands down the best small town feel in a city I’ve known.

And as a result of being downtown, fans of Evoke and friends of the Duncans, we spent a lot of time with them last spring engaged in strategic planning for the coffee shop.

It’s important to know 90 percent of restaurants, coffee shops included, fail in their first year of business. Evoke is seven years old with a loyal customer following. That’s an impressive feat in and of itself. But it’s that statistic that is often quoted by my hospitality industry-veteran husband when saying, “I will never own a restaurant,” if I would throw around the romantic notion of doing so.

So, imagine my surprise, when Robert asks me in May: “What do you think about buying Cafe Evoke?”

Fast forward through hours of conversations with Jason, Jenni and each other over the summer.... and that’s just what we did the end of September.

We created a new company ownership structure that includes the Duncans as a partner focused on coffee and Chef Chris McCabe working with Robert on food. We are the majority owners and managing partners. We also have a couple of enthusiastic investors. We’re so grateful to Jason and Jenni for dreaming and creating this amazing space and to have the opportunity to take the reins of Evoke’s future.

The goal is to elevate the food being served to match the reputation of one of the best coffee programs in Oklahoma. The hope is to keep Evoke in the forefront as a place to go for fantastic coffee, engaging conversation, and thoughtful cafe food. We want Evoke to continue to be a leader in supporting Edmond’s focus on revitalizing downtown, creating community spaces and culture.

Are we nervous? Of course. Are we tired? Exhausted probably best describes our current state. But we are certain with time this will be one of the best moves we’ve made for our family and our community.