Saratoga News

Photograph by Robert Scheer

Saratogans Andy and Barbara Wacker share an interest in art and enjoy hanging work by other artists in their coffeehouse.

Couple combines interests to create success

By Sarah Quelland

Twenty years ago, Saratoga residents Barbara and Andy Wacker moved to the United States from Warsaw, Poland, where coffeehouses were very popular--in fact, they shared their first date at one.

After immigrating here, they missed the coffeehouse culture of Europe that had become so dear to them. Even though coffeehouses have become commonplace in the U.S., the Wackers could rarely find coffees and teas brewed the way they liked them. With that in mind, they opened their own coffeehouse in October 1997.

Blue Star Coffee is a small shop tucked away on De Anza Boulevard. Drivers along the crowded street might never notice it, but it's worth the visit. Great care is taken in brewing the tea, and each individual cup of coffee is freshly ground with a special grinder. The atmosphere is serene, and the ambiance is subtly elegant.

Both Barbara and Andy are artists, which has its benefits in the running of their business. Barbara designed the European-style interior of Blue Star herself after taking a color design class at De Anza College. It was there that she became interested in noncompetitive design.

"It's a fascinating concept; there are few rules, and you can always break them," she says. "[The coffeehouse's interior] was supposed to be natural and warm colors, but also calming."

As Barbara points out, the richly stained counters and shelves, marble tabletops, leaf-imprinted copper tables and rich earthy wall colors work well together.

"[Customers] say, 'You have so many colors on the wall, and they somehow match,' " she says, although she admits that achieving the harmony took time. Many things changed before the interior was completed.

Even now, she is looking forward to future redecorating. "I can change the decoration every season; there's always a good excuse," she says, laughing.

Andy works at Blue Star every day while Barbara works for Xerox in Palo Alto. He brings the human touch that many coffee chains lack. He's more like a host than a business owner, and it's clear when he speaks that he enjoys people and takes great pride in his work.

"Sometimes I feel like at Cheers," he says.

In addition to running Blue Star, Andy works with children in Saratoga and other local schools as part of an art docents program.

"The inspiration was my child," says Andy, who for six years spent every day with their now 9-year-old daughter, Jessica. He says he thinks it should be mandatory for all fathers to spend at least one year at home with their young children.

"I have an absolutely different perspective," he says. "I watch her. I learn from her."

Both parents quietly encourage Jessica's blossoming artistic interests. "We have to allow [her] to make mistakes," Andy says. "We have to create an environment that is not scary."

Barbara adds, "We just let her discover."

An example of Jessica's and other children's artwork is displayed on the coffeehouse's wall. Andy provided local children with ceramic tiles on which they created impressionistic paintings.

He becomes quite serious when discussing the children's art.

"They know nothing about art," he says. "That is the beauty." Andy chose impressionism for the children because of its artistic freedom. "Children don't make a continuous line; they make the dots."

He says he finds it disappointing that art is one of the last priorities in a school's budget. "In every part of your life, you have to be creative," he adds.

Because Barbara and Andy have such a love of art and coffeehouses, they work to bring the two together for their customers. They plan to offer customers opportunities to get creative by personalizing coffee mugs. The Wackers are considering allowing customers to leave their mugs and use them each time they come in. "It's my goal to feel like a home," Andy says.

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