Meet Christina Zygielbaum | Coffee Shop Owner and Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Christina Zygielbaum and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Christina, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Owning a coffee shop/bookstore has always been a dream of mine. When the historic building on Main St went up for sale, it presented the perfect opportunity to turn my dream into a reality.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
My entire career has been spent in the corporate world. When I relocated from Arizona to Colorado, I knew I did not want to go back to that environment, even though it would have been easy to do. I wanted to open a coffee shop that could be a community hub, welcoming to all, with a cozy, laid-back vibe, and plenty of seating.

We have a kid corner where little ones can play barista, read books, do puzzles, and color on the chalkboard wall, a dog friendly patio with mountain views, large family style seating where big groups have plenty of space to meet, an abundance of outlets for those who need to plug in, and high speed internet for those who want to connect to the outside world.

In addition to this great environment, it was important to me to offer high quality coffee, tea and treats that are direct trade, ethically sourced, use organic practices, and give back to the communities. I am proud of the selection we offer. You can taste the passion of the artisans who grow and create our ingredients.

We are community oriented and work with the artists at Main St. Gallery to display their art, exposing Brighton to the wonderful culture that exists locally. We host events every Saturday and most Sundays, including local musicians on the first Saturday and a pop up bookstore every 3rd Saturday of each month. We also host local events, parties, classes, and workshops such as sourdough bread making and floral bouquet design. We always have something going on!

Making this dream come true came with it’s own set of challenges. When we decided to open the business, I did not know the first thing about running a coffee shop. The beginning was definitely overwhelming. What really helped was drawing upon my prior experience by donning my project management hat and approaching this as a large scale project. My husband and I put together a plan, set deadlines, and added priority levels to each item. From there things became much more manageable and I was able to turn my vision into a reality, one step at a time.

Being located in a historic building presented it’s own set of challenges. Each step of design and construction uncovered over a hundred years worth of DIY projects. Due to the surprises at each turn, we had to continually push out our opening date. Like many construction projects, the last few weeks prior to opening were hectic. One lesson I learned is allow more time for buildout and staff training so that we can move more calmly into opening. The staff was still very fresh when we opened and not all of our processes and procedures were as efficient as we had originally thought. Our Grand Opening brought lines out the door and although we managed through a wonderful day, some additional time and training would have made it go more smoothly. My staff is amazing, though, and I am lucky to have them. Now several months in, our team works together seamlessly, as if they’ve been doing this for years.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would definitely spend our day on Historic Main Street, enjoying breakfast here at 7AM Somewhere or up at Main Street Cafe. We’d follow this up with some clothes shopping at Pine Grove Mercantile and My Local Boutique. We’d pop in for lunch at La Estrellita or Jordanelli’s and then spend the afternoon at Something Brewery for a delicious craft beer, a pie from Simply Pizza, and some arcade games. If looking for a more outdoorsy activity, we’d head over to Barr Lake State Park to go paddle boarding, kayaking, or hiking. Some other fun activities would be visiting the farmers market at Palombo Farms or ax throwing at Lizzie’s. For a night cap, you can always head over to Wolf and Honey for a delicious cocktail or espresso martini.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I have to give a big thank you my husband, Josh Zygielbaum, and my family. With the demanding hours and all the work that has gone into this, I could not have done it without their dedication and support. In addition to this, there have been so many people and organizations who have assisted in making my dream possible. The support in Brighton has been amazing! Brighton Urban Renewal Authority, Brighton Economic Development, and the many other local businesses along Main St have all been very welcoming and helpful as I set out on this journey. Mark Hammer Construction and his team did an amazing job creating and building out the space exactly as I had imagined.

Lastly, I have to say thank you to the following women-owned businesses who have been instrumental throughout the entire process. They are, More than Serendipity, PRYDE, Inspiring HR, Elevating Profits and JMills Consulting. They have all played a HUGE part in keeping me on track and offering support. Without their expertise I would have been lost.

Website: https://www.7amsomewhere.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/7am.somewhere

Facebook: https://facebook.com/7amsomewhere

Image Credits
J13 Productions