Milstead & Company is Hiring for Part Time

We are looking for individuals that are interested in providing our clientele with a singular coffee experience.

Interested parties should have the following attributes:

• Self motivated – are you the first one to attack a problem?
• Hard working – are you the last one to quit?
• Empathic customer service – can you connect with our customers in a professional manner?
• Thirsty for knowledge- do you want to learn new skills? Are you open to criticism and self-improvement? Are you excited about the task at hand?
• Sense of urgency – can you do many things at once? Can you identify and prioritize what needs to be done and do so in a speedy, efficient manner whilst never breaking a sweat?
• Observant – do you pay attention? Are you diligent, careful, and keen to remember all of the details of our process?
• Cleanliness/organization – can you clean it quick and keep it that way?
• An array of interests, hobbies, and skills- Nun chucks? Bow hunting? Basketball? Painting? Lowering Cars? Busting Rhymes?

Please bring a resume and cover letter to Andrew. He can be found most days brewing coffee at: 770 N 34th Street

The Coffee Plant

   

Hurry, hurry up and wait.

It has been a very interesting road getting Milstead and Company off the ground. In a lot of ways the road has really only just begun. As we near what has been a perpetually changing opening date, I want to give you an update on what we have been up too.

I stepped down from my post managing the Urban Coffee Lounge in December. It was certainly a bittersweet departure. The opportunity to pursue a personal dream was exciting, but terribly sad to leave a place that had become such a huge part of my life. I consider myself very lucky to have worked with such amazing people and am proud to have been a part of that team.

I do not particularly do well with being idle, so I hit the ground running.  I was eager to start, and filled my days with looking at retail spaces, ordering equipment, and finalizing as much of the logistics as I could. By late January, my basement was full of the makings of a coffee shop (cups, chairs, and stools just to name a few things) and a three-bay sink took up my porch.

A week into February, I signed a lease and drew up floor plans for my dream shop. A lot was accomplished during these first few weeks. I had been hoping for an April opening and things were on track enough that I thought it would happen. As it turns out, I was wrong.

The next 5 months were spent in limbo, somewhere between Seattle City Code, permit histories, endless phone calls, and an ever-increasing stack of revised architectural drawings. When I reflect on those months, I conjure images of riding a never-ending roller coaster. There were days when I was certain I would see a building permit any minute, and there were days when I was certain that there was no hope of ever getting the shop open. I would like to say that I handled all of the ups and downs with the grace and poise of a much wiser and more competent man. However, that wouldn’t exactly be the truth. I cursed a lot during those months, and I will leave it at that.

On June 29th, in the thick of cupping some new crop coffees with some of my favorite people, I received a phone call from the Department of Planning and Development. I was braced for another setback but instead received some of the best news I had heard all year.  The plans for Milstead & Co. were approved and a construction permit was waiting for my pick up. I could hardly believe it. It was surreal and I was so overwhelmed, I wasn’t able to react.  By the next day, I was in the space with some of my trusty pals from E & I Services ripping out the existing bathrooms, cutting concrete floors, and just plain freaking out with the thrill of being able to get to work.  For the next week I often caught myself absentmindedly smiling in delight.

These last few weeks have blown by and we have been diligently working to get the project finished. Floors had to be dug up to run new water and electrical supply, new bathrooms and fire walls have been built, the coffee bar and cabinets are nearly done, and I have just finished washing primer off my hands. Tomorrow new colors will adorn our walls. When the paint dries we will begin installing the tables, espresso machines, water towers, and hopefully some decorations as well.

Much goes into getting a bare bones space ready to accommodate people and coffee equipment. We are getting close to being able to open the doors. Our estimates put us about 2 -3 weeks out. To me, this seems an eternity, but I am sure it will be here long before I am actually ready for it.

For all the ups and downs I still feel as fortunate, excited, and yes nervous, as I was when I began. There have been some pretty fantastic learning experiences so far, and I am excited for what I will continue to learn as things unfold. I continually find myself in the midst of the most stellar, intelligent, kind, generous, and helpful people on the planet. Without these people there would be no Milstead and Company, just plain old Milstead, and where’s the fun in that?

The very simple truth is that all of the complexities, hard work, and sleepless nights have only fueled my drive and excitement to serve the public tasty coffees. I can’t wait to see your smiling faces in the shop. I am thrilled to meet our first regulars, thrilled to train new employees, and thrilled to be a part of the Fremont community.

Keep your eyes and ears open over the next couple of days and weeks. I have posted a few photos* of the construction process and I will be posting more as progress continues.

I hope this finds you well.

Andrew

* I am snapping these on the fly so please forgive the quality. (The full set of construction photos can be seen in the Flickr stream on the right of this page)