Bloom Coffee Shop LLC

Bloom Coffee Shop is your local friendly, inviting coffee shop in King City, CA. They strive to provide customers with delicious handmade donuts partnered with delicious espresso or iced coffee, hot chocolate and handmade crepes. Bloom Coffee Shop has healthy acai bowls on the menu, various options for bubble tea in the boba shop and iced classic milk tea. They are committed to providing exceptional customer service and the best food in the area.

What inspired the owner to start a business?  Maria and her partner (also a Cal Coastal SBDC client with a local auto sales company) attended a two-part business startup series in October 2019. During a follow up call, they indicated they decided to proceed with their coffee shop idea and started to look for locations in the King City Area. 

What challenges did SBDC assist the business owner to overcome:  Available suitable locations during the pandemic delayed the opening of their business, and once they started inside another business, financial challenges forced a temporary closure in 2022. The client is a native Spanish-speaker and has been paired with Spanish-speakers for best assistance results.

How was SBDC able to assist the client?  In October 2019, client attended a 2-Part Business Startup class offered in English/Spanish in King City. With the pandemic and challenges finding the right location at the right price, the client started the business for 4 months then had to close. She returned to the SBDC for help in reopening her business in January of 2023. Maria Elena was paired with a Spanish-speaking consultant, and she and her partner also participated in a multi-faceted King City Visual Business Branding event in August 2023. The event included an in-person visual branding training session (in English & Spanish), followed by an on-site review of the location’s business status and individualized business branding opportunities – also conducted in English and Spanish. The client received 9.5 training hours and 4.85 hours of 1:1 advising.

Any metrics obtained: With a $35,000 investment and creation of 2 jobs, the client successfully reopened the premier coffee shop in downtown King City and is offering tasty hot and cold drinks and food to this rural population.

What did the owner feel was the most important part of the assistance received:

The training was the most important part. She was happy when she heard about a new workshop, in partnership with King City, and is glad to continue receiving assistance and attending in-person workshops that provide them with more information and marketing consulting assistance.