wait,
what's happening?

I sat on my couch, legs tucked, with my laptop perched on my knees, reading a Craiglist Ad for a 1965 VW Bus, loved for many years, and looking for a new home.

I was fresh off a few months of rejection, and decidedly fired up. I'd poured every ounce of entrepreneurial energy I had into building a business plan, proforma, and opening cost estimator for my second business: Considered. I'd interviewed industry veterans, secured funding, engaged a broker, and toured every empty commercial space in Santa Barbara.

I'd put in three offers at/above asking price, agreed to NNN terms and personal guarantees. And I couldn't get anyone to take me seriously.

Why? While I can't prove it, I'm pretty sure it was because I was a woman just shy of 30, who pulled up on a scooter, wearing sneakers and bearing tattooed arms. I wore no bra, no makeup, and had no male business partner backing me. I didn't know the right people and I didn't have money to lose.

Back to that Craigslist Ad: that old bus with plenty of patina, peeling upholstery, priced right, and located just up the road was looking pretty good right about now...

I bought the bus in cash on the spot.


And decided that I would show the patriarchy some love by building this business backwards: with profit as an outcome, and people as the driving force. I figured I may as well do it my way: with generosity, community, quality, candor, and some fine ass systems to boot.

PIA HERE, MAYBE I CAN HELP...

SEPT. 2022

The truth is: I never really know what's happening these days. I didn't think of the idea for this business — it was an accident. Oops? But here we are: slinging espresso shots on the side of the road, and hoping to keep doing it. 

JAN. 2023

In just 4 short months, I'd managed to turn a 60 year old vehicle into a coffee shop — thanks in large part to the kind guys at Cory Motors and Campo Vans — who either pitied my naive optimism, or who I managed to charm into submission — it's still unclear.

We did an engine and break overhaul, replaced upholstery, read all 212 pages of Santa Barbara County Health Code, built a fully self-sufficient coffee shop (plumbing and electric included), replaced coroded window seals, and gave the bus a fresh paint job.

No one had done something exactly like this before, and we weren't totally sure it was going to work.

When I pulled the first espresso shot off the machine in the bus, I almost collapsed with relief.

JAN. 2024

Getting Considered off the ground was the hardest thing I've ever done. While everyone else was focused on how I got a health permit, I was dealing with staff turnover, generator oil changes, tight cashflow, wet weather, failing brakes, backlash from B/M business owners and everything in between.

It was chaos behind the scenes, but on the curb, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. You kept telling us how cool it was, that the coffee was some of the best you'd had, that you'd been seeing us everywhere, that our staff's service was incredible.

By the end of year 1, we'd had our first profitable month, were getting 3-5 inquiries per week. And YOU all had become our reason to stay open. Knowing your names, your orders, how to make your kids smile, your dog's favorite rubs became the things we looked forward to most.

SEPT. 2024

Two years after I bought the VW Bus, it was clear: we needed less operational unpredictability, more geographical range, and a more reliable foothold to keep growing.

I set my sights on a short school bus, and came home from Temecula with one a few weeks later.

OCT. 2024

So, here we are. We're ready to build the second installation of Considered Coffee — a 1998 Ford Type A school bus.

And we need your help.

As it turns out, 2024 is a tough year for small businesses. There's a lot we don't know. But one thing we do know for sure: we've spent the last two years building a business that considers people. 

People like you, who were craving familiarity and a sense of belonging. Who seek cool experiences in our laid back little town. Who appreciate quality food + drink... sans stuffy-ness. Who, because of Considered, have been reminded of the power of our humanness.

If you’ve...

+ enjoyed a really good cup of coffee from us

+ felt Considered by any or all of our staff members 

+ admired the creativity of our business concept

+ seen us work hard + fast during a rush 

+ watched us grow into a known name in town

+ appreciated our no-BS insights and updates

+ liked getting a friendly morning text

+ applauded our persistence and pushback on the status quo

We invite you to contribute, and help us continue to make every person feel considered — no matter who they are, where they come from, what they believe, who they love, how they identify. 

I asked questions, voiced opinions, and made counter offers when they expected me to sit down, shut up, and look pretty. When I asked for feedback, the only response I got was: you're not the tenant the owner wants in the space.

The truth is, I started this business because I had something to prove: I'm going to do this — with or without you.

I don't fit into your box? Fine, I'll make my own. You just saved me $16k/mo in rent. Thanks!