Pico, what made you decide to open a coffee shop?
Honestly, I never set out thinking I'm going to open a café. It started with the coffee itself — roasting it, understanding it, obsessing over it. The shop came later because I wanted a place where people could actually taste what good coffee is supposed to be. Not the corporate version of it. The real thing, made by someone who gives a damn.
Redemption is a pretty loaded name for a coffee shop. Where does that come from?
It's personal. Coffee was my way out of a period in my life where things weren't great. A lot of people have that thing that pulled them through — for some people it's music, or running, or whatever. For me it was learning to roast. The process of taking something raw and turning it into something someone else can enjoy — there's something redemptive about that. So the name isn't a marketing thing. It's just honest.
“The process of taking something raw and turning it into something someone else can enjoy — there's something redemptive about that.”
You run the shop mostly by yourself. What does a typical day look like?
I'm there before anyone else, prepping. The morning rush is intense because it's just me behind the counter most of the time. You're pulling shots, steaming milk, taking orders, running the register, cleaning — all at once. There's no line cook or backup barista waiting in the wings. When it gets slammed, people wait. Most of them are cool about it because they can see me working. They know it's one person making their drink by hand. That actually builds something — they feel like they're part of it, not just ordering from a machine.
That sounds exhausting. Does it ever feel unsustainable?
Some days, yeah. The hardest part isn't the work itself. It's the stuff around the work. I should be responding to Google reviews. I should have a website. I should be running some kind of rewards program because customers literally ask me for one. But when you're doing everything solo, all of that falls to the bottom of the list. I've been meaning to sit down and figure out the rewards thing for months. There are like twenty different apps on Clover's marketplace and I'd need a full week to evaluate them all. So it just doesn't happen.
You mentioned customers ask for a rewards program. What do they say exactly?
It comes up all the time. They'll say, "Hey, when are you going to have one of those loyalty things?" And I tell them it's coming, because it is — I just haven't gotten to it yet. The thing is, these people already come every day. They want to feel recognized for that. And I want to recognize them. I know most of my regulars by name and order. The system should just make that official.
“I know most of my regulars by name and order. The system should just make that official.”
What about the syrups? I've heard those are a big draw.
The syrups are probably the thing that sets us apart the most. Everything is house-made. Real ingredients, real flavor. When people taste the difference between our lavender syrup and whatever comes out of a pump bottle at a chain, they get it immediately. I've had people ask if they can buy bottles to take home. I've been thinking about selling them online but the logistics — shipping glass, labeling, all of that — it's another project sitting on the pile.
When you look at the coffee shop one block down, the one with more reviews, what goes through your head?
I check their reviews. I know their count. It bothers me a little, I won't lie. But I also know that most of their reviews are because they have a system and I don't. My regulars love what we do — they just haven't been asked to leave a review. It's not a quality gap, it's a process gap. I know that. I just haven't fixed it.
If you could have one thing run on autopilot tomorrow, what would it be?
Advance ordering. Without question. People want my coffee but some of them can't wait fifteen minutes when it's busy. If they could text their order or put it in somewhere before they show up, I could have it ready. I wouldn't lose those customers. And I could spread the rush out — instead of everyone hitting me at 7:30, some of them order at 7 and pick up at 7:15. That changes my whole morning.
What keeps you going on the hard days?
The regulars. When someone walks in and I already know their order, and they know my name, and we talk for a minute while I'm making their drink — that's the whole point. Every cup I make is a conversation. The big chains can't do that. They'll never be able to do that. As long as I can keep doing that, the rest will figure itself out.
“The big chains can't do that. They'll never be able to do that.”
What's next for Redemption?
Get the rewards program going. Get a simple website up — just hours, menu, ordering, nothing fancy. Eventually sell the syrups online. And honestly? I'd love to start a little coffee blog. Not about the business, just about the craft. How I think about roasting, what I'm learning, what I'm tasting. That's the part that got me into this in the first place. I don't want to lose touch with it.