Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 19, Number 1, 1 January 2002 — Robust coffee business perks with OHA loan [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Robust coffee business perks with OHA loan

By Caitriona Kearns Little did Clayton Loo know when he poked his head through the newspaper-clad windows of Muddy Waters Espresso, curious of the new coffee shop and its blues-inspired name, that in a eouple of years he would

own the shop, The sign hanging above the building got his attention and led him to a job making cappuccinos, espressos, and granitas catering to the coffee connoisseurs of his Kailua neighborhood, The coffee shop was conceived and operated by a eou-

ple from Lanikai who would later decide to move to Waikele and ask Loo if he would buy the business from them, īn April 2001, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs gave him a loan of $46,675; $35,000 to buy the business; and the balance to pay for a little advertising and help purchase a large espresso maehine, upgrading his capabilities to handle the morning rush of customers, Loo's philosophy with his staff is to lead by example in his eompetent, easygoing manner that dove-

tails well with the cozy atmosphere of his neighborhood cafe, As with all coffee shops, the familiar aroma of roasted coffee beans permeates the air and activates the senses; however, there is more going on here between these four walls than just the sale of coffee, The coffee shop has developed a following in

the community, Customers post photographs of their dogs on the walls along with the dog's name written boldly in ink, and ? another big attraction is a ^ daily rock 'n' roll quiz | composed of challenging § trivia for whieh people ® eome to get the answer to 3 the previous day's quiz, Transitioning from employee to owner brought new responsibilities: "I had

to learn about tax laws, employment laws and health requirements," he said apprehensively, His wife, Julie Loo, eomplements him with her ability to deal with some of these new responsibilities, She also works a few shifts but mostly puts her energy into taking care of organizational details, setting up work schedules for the staff of six part-time college students and managing their accountant so everyone gets paid, Whereas, Loo is there every day running the business, buying supplies, and ordering cof-

fee from their exclusive supplier, Batdorf and Bronson Coffee Roasters in 01ympia, Wash, On top of taking to the coffee business, Loo has been working full-time with the city bus service until three months ago when he decided to take the plunge and dedicate all his time to his business, Now, every morning at 5,30 a.m, he arrives at the coffee shop to prep for the early opening, He works alongside two other staff members during the morning shift, Aftervvard, he runs errands and gets to eome home and spend time with his wife and children, whieh is a new and welcomed phenomenon for them all, Just to stir things up a bit, Loo and his wife Julie have been busy with plans for an expansion of the outdoor seating area, "We want to put a deck out there and the shopping center has already approved it, So now it is just a matter of taking the plans down to the building department and going through that whole process," says Julie, who will take care of getting the proper permits, "The new deck will have umbrella-shaded tables and enough plants to keep it real jungle like, just like Hawai'i," For more information about OHA's loan fund, eall 594.1924. For Muddy Waters Espresso, eall 254-2004. ■

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Pā'oihana

Owner Clciyton Loo einel wife Julie cit Muclcly Wciters Espresso in Kailuei,