What do coffee shops, upscale bars, and pizzerias have in common? The answer for all three of San Diego's businesses is romance.
Some may frown at the idea of couples working together, much less starting a business together. As the saying goes: “Never mix business and pleasure.” But in the case of these three of his couples, that's exactly what they did.
In the run-up to Valentine's Day, KPBS interviewed the owners of Barrel and Board in Hillcrest, Sister's Pizza in Marston Hills, and The Coffee Drop in Golden Hill to find out how each couple came together. I asked him if he started his own business and how he balances work and relationships.
Maw and Dawn: Barrel & Board
“My lovely wife, Dawn Stults, and I were sitting at home, drinking a bottle of wine, maybe some food wine, getting creative, drinking some juice, and just started making plans. And , that's how we got here,” says Moe Girton, co-creator of Barrel & Board.
Barrel & Board is a chic bar and eatery specializing in charcuterie boards inspired by Schulz's love of perfectly placed boards.
“My wife makes a lot of charcuterie boards at home. She's known for these amazing charcuterie boards. And people always say, 'If you go to Stolz's house, give me a glass of wine and this gorgeous board. ” I will talk about that. So we took that concept and ran it with Barrel & Board,” Garton said.
From the time they met at their first bar in Girton, food and good drinks were what brought them together. gossip grill — also in Hillcrest.
“I looked around and there was this nice lady standing behind the bar making martinis. That was Mo, and I asked her to make me a martini,” Stolz said. Told. “I didn't know who she was or what she did. My wife always says she doesn't date guests. And I'm the one who says, 'Well, I don't date bartenders.' is. So I think it was really fate that brought us together. ”
And 13 years later, they are standing behind closed doors at the business they created together. The place is decorated with French chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, alcohol shelves sourced almost entirely from women-owned businesses, and large drip candles along the bar.
“I’m very proud of Burrell,” Stultz said. “I've seen it transform into this place that's now very permanent for the community.”
The key to their relationship is respect.
“The most important thing is mutual respect. Having a space where you can have conversations and really listen to each other and hear each other's opinions. Mo and I have this rule. We I don't argue. It's never happened after all these years. And people say, “That seems ridiculous.” How can you not fight? It's about having a conversation, and if you have a disagreement, you can step away and come back and revisit it. But once it’s done, that’s it,” Stults said.
Emily and Trevor: Sister Pizza
customers coming in sisters pizza The smell of freshly baked pizza with clever names like “Chickie Chickie Palm Palm,” the green walls covered in smiling pictures, and co-owner Emily Green Lake. She was greeted warmly by her husband, Trevor Lake, who was assembling the pizzas in the back of the store. counter.
What customers may never suspect from this cheerful pizzeria is that it started after a terrible loss.
“My sister passed away suddenly in 2016,” Greenlake said. “At the time, I was a teacher and my dream was to run a pizza restaurant. Then she passed away and I realized that life is very short, so I quit my teaching job and realized my dream. So I decided to open a restaurant.”
Green Lake's sister, Kate Green, is remembered in every detail of the store, which opened in 2018. The walls are green, a nod to her maiden name, the photos on the walls are dedicated to customers' deceased loved ones, and the pizzas have names like “Uncle Jesse” that are a nod to Green's beloved shows. It's mentioned.
And, of course, the name of the restaurant is “Sister's Pizza.”
However, she says that without her husband, this store would not have been possible.
“It wasn't really part of the plan for Trevor to be this involved. But this project was such a large undertaking that I couldn't have done it alone,” she said. Ta. “So Trevor gave up his career running auto body shops and paint shops to come help me full time. And now he's our master pizza maker.”
While Lake's transition from mechanic to restaurant co-owner may seem like a big change, it was actually a “natural progression,” he said.
“I think it's often a joke when people say, 'Oh, it's so hard working together.' It’s not difficult,” Lake said. “People talk about work wives and work husbands, but we actually have that in real life. I mean, there are more positives than negatives. It's a challenge, but… It’s worth it.”
He said the biggest challenge is finding the separation between work and personal life.
“I think it's common with couples who work together, where they talk about work at work and then when they get home, they talk about work at home. So it's difficult,” he said. Said. Going out to dinner, going on dates, and taking vacations are the most important parts of staying balanced. ”
Soon, Greenlake will be going on a short trip with some old friends. Thanks to her husband, she doesn't have to worry about Sisters Pizza.
“I'm 100% confident that I'm out of the business. I know that Trevor will be there to hold down the fort,” she said. “I know he has my back, even if I'm away for a few hours. And it feels really great.”
Evan and Marissa: Coffee Drop
“He asked me out for coffee one day and that was it. We just started dating from there,” said co-owner Marissa Lourenco. coffee drop.
Marissa and Evan Lourenco met in college and always had a vision of making coffee together in their own shop.
“More than 10 years later, we still drink more coffee than just one cup. It's kind of a wild adventure to create something together every day,” Evan said. Ta. “We had never really worked together. We just started this thing. It was a dream that we had for a long time, even before we got married.”
Coffee Drop started with a teardrop-shaped trailer that they bought with their own savings and drove around their local neighborhood asking friends and neighbors if they wanted coffee.
“When we went live to our local community in the first week of December 2022, we were filled with gratitude and everyone was so supportive. We did no marketing. “We showed up one day and people stopped and kept coming,” he said. “Within three days of starting the business, he was already having people coming in every day. He said, 'Well, I guess this is a business that the neighbors like, too.' It felt like it.”
For them, working together meant finding boundaries and working together to express both in their products.
“As a couple, I think it's definitely made us stronger and redefined our bond of working together, because there are things I want a certain way and he wants a certain way. But it's the two of us, so let's meet in the middle. So this is some of my ideas and some of his ideas,” Marissa said.
Now they have their own official coffee shop in Golden Hill. It's a peach-and-white building on a street corner, and when you step inside, you'll find Evan and Marissa, the cozy cafe's only employees, making a signature coffee, the OBSL (Orange Brown Sugar Latte). They call all their customers friends.
“We're building it together. There's something really moving and very profound about it. Together we've created something out of nothing,” Evan said. . “And even though we don't have kids, we joke that Coffee Drop is definitely our baby. This is something we started from scratch and built and grew into what it is now.” And we are very grateful for that.”
From an idea discussed over wine to a collaboration in memory of a deceased sister to turning a neighborhood coffee trailer into a cafe, these couples started their businesses for a variety of reasons, but their love for what they do are connected.
