Nipomo woman opens coffeehouse to ‘give people a little bit more to do’ in her hometown
After noticing a lack of coffee shops and community-oriented spaces in her hometown of Nipomo, Maricruz Sanchez knew she had to do something.
So she launched Bubbles & Tea Coffeehouse — a new cafe serving up coffee, tea, wine and breakfast items.
Sanchez first opened the shop in early June at 338 W Tefft St.
Since opening, Sanchez has crafted a menu that places an emphasis on healthier alternatives to heavier foods. Some of these options include avocado toast, “skinny” chia seed pudding and a gluten-free breakfast with eggs, bacon, avocado and tomato.
How founder’s Nipomo upbringing inspired Bubbles & Tea Coffeehouse
Sanchez has an entrepreneurial spirit informed by her Nipomo upbringing and time living in San Diego working in the service industry, she said.
“My dad was a serial entrepreneur,” Sanchez said. “We sold pots and pans and blankets and tamales door-to-door.”
Living in San Diego was when Sanchez truly fell in love with the hospitality industry, she said.
During that time, she worked and managed a restaurant and even had the opportunity to help open restaurants.
Sanchez met industry professionals and looked to them as models for how she would run things if she ever opened her own business, she said.
That dream soon came true on a trip back to Nipomo to visit her mom. Feeling in need of a change, Sanchez serendipitously found the available Tefft Street location and got to work on her new passion project.
‘Like you’re walking into a family member’s house’
For Sanchez, Bubbles & Tea Coffeehouse is about more than the coffee.
According to Sanchez, she did not want her coffee shop to be a place where people come, order coffee and leave. Instead, she wanted it to be a place for the community to gather and connect.
“When you come here, you’re just going to get a totally different experience,” Sanchez said. “It has more of a family vibe and people truly make connections here.”
Sanchez said her shop is more “mom and pop” style where people come in and everyone knows each other and talks to each other. Many of the customers went to high school together or attend the same church, Sanchez added.
Her mom even works in the shop with her.
“We all know each other by name,” Sanchez said. “It’s like you’re walking into a family member’s house.”
New Nipomo coffee shop, cafe hosts night events
Bubbles & Tea Coffeehouse undergoes a sort of transformation at night, playing host to many different events.
Sanchez said the shop becomes like a speak easy.
Events include comedy nights, salsa nights, wine and paint nights and even an upcoming single’s night on Saturday for 30-42 year olds looking for love.
Anyone interested in the events, can find more information on the shops’ event page on the website, Sanchez said.
At the night events, customers can still enjoy the shop’s full menu and wine selection.
According to Sanchez, hosting events is part of building the community.
She said the coffee shop represents the opportunity to change the narrative about Nipomo that frequently paints the town as quiet, with little going on.
“People assume that everything that comes in here is going to fail and it’s so unfortunate,” Sanchez said. “We really need to change that narrative. We have such a great little town, and I just want to give people a little bit more to do.”
For more information
Bubbles & Tea Coffeehouse is open on Saturday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Thursday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
For more information, visit bubblesandtea.co, call 805-619-7737 or email maricruz@bubblesandtea.co.
