Drinking in success: Women combine talents to open coffee shop

By RUTH RICE
The Tribune-Democrat

May 23, 2006 03:05 pm

— Owning a coffee shop has been anything but a grind on the friendship of three Westmont businesswomen.
Sorella-Sorella Expresso, 828 Diamond Blvd. in Westmont Borough, is owned by Karen Smith, Joanne Litzinger and Joy Stack, who all live in Westmont.
Sorella means sister in Italian, but the women are not related, although they do appear to have a family resemblance.
Smith and Stack knew each other and Litzinger and Stack knew each other, but a three-way connection wasn’t made until the trio started sharing their dreams and entered into a business partnership.
Litzinger’s dream was to open a bookstore, Smith wanted to open a little shop of indeterminate origin, and Stack was leaning toward a coffee shop.
“When this location became available last May, we became serious,” Litzinger said. “We talked to other friends, but the three of us stuck.”
“We went to a small-business seminar at St. Francis (University) and then went to JARI with our business plan.”
Stack came up with the original concept of a cooperative of women and she also came up with the name.
Once the women received the official word in July that they were business owners, they started to remodel the empty storefront.
“Our spouses and female friends helped, but we did a lot ourselves,” Smith said.
“We laid tile, put grout on the floor, put up studs and made a bathroom, too.”
The women kept decorating costs down by using a lot of recycled materials gathered from yard sales and using items taken from their own kitchens.
They had to buy espresso machines, tables and chairs for their sitting area.
“We take a lot of pride in what we did,” Smith said.
“We wanted somewhere to come and sit, not a restaurant or bar – a community meeting place.”
Sorella-Sorella opened on Oct. 10.
The women divide the work into three rotating shifts and sometimes work on their days off, deciding what is needed for their store.
Smith, Litzinger and Stack believe they have brought overlapping talents to their business, meshing them together in a complementary fashion.
“When we make a decision, if the others don’t think it’s OK we back off,” Litzinger said. “If you’re by yourself, you can make mistakes because you don’t have that. We have three minds and three backgrounds.”
They get their supplies from a distributor in Pittsburgh that deals directly with a supplier in Italy.
“We try to distinguish ourselves as more of an Italian coffee shop,” Smith said. “Someone who recently came back from Venice was impressed.”
Because the shop’s coffee beans are not ground until an order is placed, its espressos and lattes are as fresh as possible.
“We don’t store a large amount of beans – about a week’s supply,” Smith said.
“We sell coffee beans to customers, too.”
All agreed that the shop’s coffee is never cold, stale or burned because it doesn’t sit in a pot.
The trio explained that espresso might be robust, but it is actually lower in caffeine because of the grade of beans and the speed of the process used to make it.
Smith bakes biscotti, scones and shortbreads, including a cinnamon bread and other breakfast breads that are popular.
Biscotti are 75 cents each, scones are $1.50, breakfast breads are $1 and cookies are three for $1.
Espresso is $1.50.
“We recently started having doggie biscotti for people who walk their dogs,” Smith said.
The trio also caters to small groups that meet in the sitting room.
They have hosted wedding showers, book clubs, bridge clubs and church youth groups.
In addition to platters of biscotti, scones and breakfast breads, the shop can provide a lunch of quiche, a hearty soup or salads.
“We want to give them (groups) what they want and ask for,” Smith said. “We work with them and tell them what we can do.”
Customers often bring books to read during lunch or they can read a book or magazine provided by the owners in the sitting room, which is furnished with tables, chairs, plants and relaxing music.
“I love the tranquil tea room with original art on the walls, fresh flowers and soothing music,” said Jane Oleksak of Westmont, a coffee-shop regular. “Cafe Americano and Desafinado are a fabulous combination – very Zen.”
The real estate mantra “location, location location” has proven to be the cornerstone of the fledgling business.
The small shop is located at the corner of Luzerne Street and Diamond Boulevard, across from the Westmont Hilltop Middle School.
Residents who are taking walks and those who are looking for some after-dinner coffee and dessert have stopped in.
Many, like Stack, who came from the Washington, D.C., area, have relocated to Johnstown from larger metropolitan areas where there were coffee shops on every corner, and they have been pleasantly surprised to find Sorella-Sorella nestled in their neighborhood.
Bob and Marianne Krizner of Westmont have been to the coffee shop only once, but they enjoyed their visit.
“I met two ladies I hadn’t seen in a long time,” Marianne said. “It was nice to chat in a homey atmosphere. I had a cappuccino, and it was delicious.
“I think it’s wonderful the way an older building can be utilized. It’s nice that it’s in the neighborhood and close by. I remember it was an antique store years ago.”
Robin Strachan of Westmont, Oleksak’s niece, discovered the coffee shop on her morning walks with her aunt.
“It’s become my every-morning ritual,” Strachan said. “She has coffee, and I have Indian spice tea. Now, I couldn’t start the day without my ritual.
“I like it because it has a neighborhood gathering-place feel to it. It’s not in a shopping center. It’s a small business, and the owners pay attention to detail,” Strachan said.
“They remember how I like my tea, and I appreciate that.”
The owners aren’t afraid of competing with Starbucks because they believe they are targeting a different audience.
By Memorial Day, the women hope to have tables and chairs for alfresco dining.
A small parking area is available in front of the store for in-and-out customers, while a larger area in back allows parking for customers who want to linger.
Sorella-Sorella offers a variety of cool Italian delicacies.
Cremosa
8 ounces sparkling water
2 ounces flavored syrup
1 to 2 ounces Half and Half
Ice
Fill a 16-ounce glass 2/3 full with ice. Add sparkling water and syrup and stir. Pour Half and Half through the middle and serve.
The most popular Cremosa at Sorella-Sorella is Orangesicle, made with mandarin orange syrup.
Affogato
In a espresso cup, add a small scoop of vanilla gelato (ice cream). Top with a single shot of espresso and drizzle with a bit of chocolate sauce. Chocolate gelato and caramel sauce work well, too.
Serves 1.
Limonata
8 ounces sparkling water
Juice of one lemon
2 ounces strawberry syrup
Fill a 16-ounce glass 2/3 full with ice. Add sparkling water, lemon juice and syrup and stir.

Ruth Rice can be reached at 532-5052 or rrice@tribdem.com.

Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.