Eb Coffeeshop Has Caffeine, Will Travel
SAINT JOHN – Being able to pack up and get a move on is an asset to Eb Coffeeshop, especially when the world turned upside down due to Covid-19.
In fact, owner and operator Evelyn Brooks says the mobile coffeeshop had its best business year ever last year.
Brooks says with so many restaurants having to close down or consider extra precautions, her business was able to adjust.
“None of this really affected us because we were essentially just take-out already, so we were able to kind of still run as our full schedule,” says Brooks. “It weirdly worked in our favour for the last summer and then this summer as well.”
Since opening in summer 2018, the coffee food truck established a routine of events, such as Beulah Family Camp week, the Sussex Flea Market, Saint John’s Night Market and Kingston Farmers’ Market.
With most people working from home, Eb Coffeeshop shifted its thinking and added more new spots to its usual locations, booking private events throughout both summers.
“We found a few different neighborhood spots where we would catch people working at home and then got some really good steady customers from those different spots,” she said, adding they parked on Porter Street on the city’s West Side, and continue to park on Boars Head Road in Milledgeville near Saint John First Wesleyan Church.
Even how Brooks was serving her coffees had to change.
“We add all the milk and cream and stuff ourselves now instead of setting them out for everyone to touch and grab,” she said.
A storefront for Eb Coffeeshop is still in future plans, though Brooks says, for now, she is sticking with what works for her May-to-October season.
“We have regular customers that will follow us from spot to spot, even though we move from West Side to Quispamsis to Milledgeville – they kind of track us down, which is really cool,” she said.
“When people come to the coffee shop that maybe haven’t been there before, it’s because of that intention of wanting to get out and seek something out that’s local, which is so important to us as business owners.”
RELATED: The Ideal Location For Your Favourite Coffee Shop Is At Your Workplace And Campground Too