Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlea Recinos.
Hi Carlea, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstory.
Coffee was my first true passion that I found by chance. I started in coffee 9 years ago while in college as a Barista at a corporate coffee shop, where I learned my love for people & care for quality could exist in the same space. My husband & I had an amazing opportunity to move to Lake Benton, MN, from 7/21-7/22 to open Legacy Bistro – a Brunch concept. It was a fantastic opportunity for me to step out of the corporate retail world & into independent entrepreneurship. That year of ownership helped give us confidence that we were on the right path for our family, but we wanted to return to NC to be with our family. We opened CHNO Coffee on 9/22 as a mobile coffee bar operating in public market events and private for-hire events, & planned a few markets of our own! Mobile life has been such an amazing way to meet people in all different parts of our community & we’ve been so lucky to have met so many other small business owners who we’ve been able to collaborate with. All of our merchandise is made locally by vendors we’ve met at pop-up markets in Charlotte – pottery mugs by Latin Lotus Pottery & Kings Pottery, soap made with our cold brew grounds by Wildman Soap, exclusive CHNO Blend coffee beans roasted by Nightswim Coffee Roasters, & honey by Honey & Hive. Also, through these markets, I met Amanda Dwiggens, who recently opened a vendor boutique, Crown & Honey. She reached out at the end of 2023 to ask us to be a part of their storefront & we were so excited to join in such a beautiful space with such kind people. We’re still doing markets & private events, but we are so excited to have a space to serve the community 6 days a week!
- Location: 13901 E Independence Blvd
- Hours:
Monday- Friday 7 am – 1 pm
Saturday 10 am – 2pm
Closed Sundays
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Absolutely! Small business & entrepreneurship is complex. The downs are lessons that propel you forward into bigger things. Lots can & have happened, but I’m a big believer in “everything happens for its reason & in perfect timing.” Many of our lows, in retrospect, were us being saved from much bigger troubles or heartaches in the future.
We’ve had opportunities in the past to have a joint storefront & it fell through, and we were left with zero answers as to why. It turned out the business ended up shutting down a few weeks later. Everything made sense at that moment in retrospect, as many of our lowest moments do!
Thanks for sharing that. So, you could tell us a bit more about your work.
I’m a Barista! Proudly wearing many hats, but that’s the simplest way to put it. Our goal is to make quality products accessible to all in a space where you feel seen & loved. I’m most proud of our continued growth & the support system we have for CHNO Coffee.
Contact Info:
- Website: CHNOcoffee.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chnocoffee.co
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chnocoffee.co
Image Credits
Photographers: Eunice Donnelly, Frank Clary, & Emily Lyons-Wood
