Church Ladies' Coffee (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780692941362)

Can you smell the aroma of freshly ground coffee and baked goods? Imagine you are in a coffee shop buzzing from the sound of a coffee grinder, accompanied by the laughter of customers. There is something to be said for familiar faces - along with something to tickle your taste buds. Most customers seem to transition to the "regular" customer status after one visit -- unless they are from out of town.

Who is the owner and operator of this busy coffee shop? It's Elsie Swanson. What's her story? Well, while headed to a play at a dinner theater in Chanhassen, Minnesota, Elsie and her friends came across an old dairy with a for sale sign. Elsie knew little about running a business, but vision was her strong suit and it wasn't long before her coffee shop was up and running.

Why did Elsie choose the name Church Ladies' Coffee? One of her fondest childhood recollections is when the ladies from her church prepared egg coffee for functions such as rummage sales, funerals, and special occasions. She associated egg coffee with the church ladies. (By the way, egg coffee translates to Swedish coffee. Give it a try!)

The familiar faces at the coffee shop range in age. From the teenagers who do their homework in the hangout room (while enjoying smoothies) to the senior card club crew. They end up helping each other in one way or another. Two of the familiar faces become Elsie's matchmaking project when she intentionally mixes up their credit cards.

Go ahead and live vicariously through Elsie and get to know her customers by reading Church Ladies' Coffee.