Photograph by George Sakkestad
Roasted Coffee Bean owner Jared Carlson warms his hands on a mocha at his Stevens Creek Boulevard store.
By NATASHA COLLINS
The connection with people and the personal relationships are why Jared Carlson opens the Roasted Coffee Bean every morning.
"The people that come in are more than customers," Carlson said. "There is a very personal relationship. I've been to their weddings and even their funerals."
Carlson and his wife, Zohreh, opened their coffee shop 15 years ago. The original store served only brewed coffee and sold beans that were roasted on the premises. "Espresso machines weren't popular like they are today," Carlson said. "When we first opened, there weren't that many coffee shops."
Carlson still roasts his own beans and provides freshly brewed coffee, but he also offers specialty drinks such as espresso and Italian sodas. There are also drinks for those who do not like coffee, including smoothies and blended Italian sodas.
The store has a full selection of pastries, scones, cakes and fruit tarts. Carlson said that it is very important for him to provide top-quality, fresh products to his customers. "Everything in the store is made fresh daily," he said. "I don't want to sell frozen things or things with preservatives. They don't have the flavor of a fresh item. Fresh is better-quality."
The Roasted Coffee Bean recently relocated, and business has been booming, Carlson said. "We have done very well," he said. "We have had a lot of return customers as well as a lot of new ones."
The new store has a 360-degree espresso bar to allow for full visibility and service in the middle of the floor. "The bar is set up like the bar in [the TV show] Cheers," he said. "It allows people to be served from any side and is much friendlier. People can see exactly what we are doing."
Postcards, cookie jars, teapots and other coffee and tea specialty gifts line the store's walls. "We want people to be able to come in here, get a cup of coffee and a nice gift for a friend," Carlson said.
Carlson said the best parts of his job and owning the store are his customers. "You get to know the people that come in," he said. "It has been a very rewarding business in more than an economic way."
The Roasted Coffee Bean is located at 19110 Stevens Creek Blvd. (near Tantau Avenue). Hours: Mon-Sat., 6 a.m-9 p.m.; Sun., 7 a.m-8 p.m.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, January 8, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.