As a Willow Glen resident, Acevedo was thrilled when the retail space at 2206 Lincoln Ave., formerly occupied by Frumas Consignment Furniture, became available. It was her opportunity to create a high quality cafe with hometown ambiance.

"This feels right," 36-year-old Acevedo says, sipping a cup of Sumatra coffee. "I didn't want to be 80 years old and thinking, 'What if?'"

Though she brings her managing and coffee expertise form Starbucks, Elva's Coffee Stop is wholly Elva, a rarity in an era when coffeehouses are mostly franchises. In the 1,080-square foot space, she helped remodel and paint the walls canary yellow and deep purple—the "happy" colors, she says.

As a small business owner, her philosophy is simple: She wanted to support other locally owned businesses. Acevedo buys her coffee from Connoisseur Coffee Company in Redwood City, which supplies many independent stores throughout the area. She also sells cheesecake from San Jose-based Charlie's Cheesecake Works, and pastries from Kelly's French Bakery in Santa Cruz and Earthly Delights Gourmet Foods in Mountain View.

Although she keeps her cafe and its offerings close to home, one lesson she's taken from the multinational Starbucks is the importance of consistently making drinks correctly in order to draw a devoted crowd. Elva's Coffee Stop serves up strong cups of coffee and makes each espresso with an old-fashioned espresso machine. The result, although more work for employees, is a better, more precise cup of espresso for her customers, she says.

As a Starbucks store manager for six years, Acevedo opened six Starbucks stores throughout San Jose. Store managers are given the liberty to run the branch like their own business and are accountable for sales and profits, she says. "It's a great company, I learned a lot. But I wanted something that was mine," she says.

In early 2004, Acevedo started to take the necessary steps to make her lifelong dream of owning her own business a reality. She began taking business courses at Evergreen Valley College. She also sought free advice on her business plan from Santa Clara County's Service Corps of Retired Executives.

She also did field research with her husband, Frank, interviewing many small coffeehouse owners. Acevedo describes the experience as heart warming as many small business owners were happy to sit down and talk about their successes and challenges. Their best advice was, simply, hang in there, she says. Although many independent coffee shops did tell her that Starbucks appeared to be running them out of business. Yet Acevedo believes there is room for both small-town and big corporation coffeehouses.

She did, however, keep all the advice in mind as she worked through San Jose's permit process. Her original opening date, Dec. 15, was delayed because she needed to bring plumbing into the main area in order to receive the necessary permits to open her doors.

Once she put out the welcome mat, neighborhood residents were eager to walk in and show their support for a local Willow Glen business.

Although the small business is still gaining visibility, Acevedo has high hopes for Elva's. She hopes her current menu of hot and cold cafe drinks will attract both residents and nearby businesses. Acevedo is also hoping to add more services within the next few months, including free wireless Internet access and possibly expand the menu to include lunch items.

Acevedo may work more hours with her own business, but she appreciates the flexible hours that comes with being her own boss. Her husband lends a hand in the cafe on his days off and two former Starbucks employees have followed her to Elva's.

But, mostly, the satisfaction in having her own business is its own reward, she says. "When my customers leave happy, I go home happy," she says.

Elva's Coffee Stop is located at 2206 Lincoln Ave. and can be reached at 408.236.2245. The store is open from 5:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.