The Little Store That Could

"I think I can. I think I can. I think I can..."

That's a bit how The River Runs Through Farmhouse Store & Coffee Shop has felt these past few weeks.

Building shelves. Learning coffee machines. Baking bread. Making signs. Moving signs. Rearranging displays. Moving displays back. Wondering if anyone would actually stop.

And then it happened.

A car pulled in.

Rob took care of a gentleman who ordered coffee while traveling from Bangor to Rockland. Apparently, we were the first place along his route that didn't involve a long line and a chain logo.

Before Rob could even finish telling me about the visit, another car pulled in.

Very exciting.

Then another.

And another.

I watched in awe.

Despite knowing there wasn't much I could do to help in our cozy little space, I periodically poked my head into the coffee shop to make sure everything was still functioning and no one had accidentally launched the espresso machine into orbit.

Questions were asked.

Coffee was poured.

Customer loyalty cards were handed out.

Cold brew disappeared.

Banana bread sold.

I baked two more loaves.

People browsed the shelves and asked questions about my skincare line. We talked coffee, gardens, handmade goods, and life. I even had the opportunity to offer a divination.

In between all of this, Kitty made two trips to his private park (also known as our lawn), which completely exhausted him. Cora, being considerably wiser, spent the day snoozing comfortably on the porch and supervising from a distance.

And somewhere in the middle of all that activity, it happened.

We stopped feeling like people trying to open a coffee shop.

And became a coffee shop.

Not just a place to grab a drink, but a place where people lingered, asked questions, shared stories, and stayed a bit.

Exactly what we'd hoped for.

We're still learning.

We're still growing.

But today felt like something important.

So thank you.

Thank you to everyone who stopped in, told a friend, bought a coffee, sampled a baked good, asked a question, or simply took a chance on a little farmhouse store on a country road.

We're excited to see what tomorrow holds.

See you soon.