Anchor Coffee House [Review]

It was a beautiful morning to visit a coffee shop… And what a perfect way to start the day!

I walked into Anchor Coffee Shop on a lovely June morning to be warmly welcomed by Kyle and Rachel Bondy, the young married couple who own this local cafe. My mom came along to keep me company; I’m glad, because experiencing this alone would have been a shame.

The coffee house has a very clean, open, welcoming atmosphere with a bit of rustic warmth, added by the heavy wooden tables and countertops.

My experience In a nutshell? I— love— this place. My only regret is that they aren’t open 24 hours. *sigh* Oh well, I will survive (somehow).

However, since I’m supposed to be writing a review, I’ll go a little deeper than my “In a nutshell” impression. 😉

First, meet Kyle and Rachel Bondy:

They are cute. 🙂

And now, some Q&A – some of which I asked them in person, and some online afterwards. I hope you enjoy the read… and then the pictures, which they so graciously allowed me to run all over the place taking.

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Me: From reading online, I have gotten the feeling that opening Anchor Coffee has been sort of a life-long dream for you guys. What made you want to open a coffee shop?

Rachel: It’s really something we’ve always wanted to do; even before we were dating, we talked about opening a coffee shop. It was something we thought would happen a little further down the road, but the doors have opened for us, so here we are!

Me: Kyle – Where did you learn all about coffee? Are you self-taught, or did you learn from other experiencing working in coffee shops, training somewhere, etc?

Kyle: I have been fascinated by the process of coffee brew methods for many years now. It started off me just reading as much info on the industry as a whole, and over the last few years it has grown into a passion. I had never worked at any coffee shop or anything that was even remotely in the same industry before we opened the shop. Rachel had worked/managed a few coffee shops in the area so that was a huge asset. Rachel and I have planned all of our vacations for the last 4 years around exploring a certain city’s coffee and food scene. This means hitting as much as 6-7 coffee shops and 2-3 restaurants a day many times. We also did a roasting tour with Intelligentsia Coffee out of Chicago a couple of years ago that helped stoke the flame of passion that much more.

Me: How long have you two been married?

Kyle: 4 years as of June.

Me: Rachel – Do you do all of the baking at Anchor? Have you been a baker for long, or is this a new area of interest since opening the coffee house?

Rachel: Yes, I do all the baking here in house. I’ve always enjoyed baking since a little girl. I like experimenting with different ingredients and trying out new recipes. And since we’ve been married I’ve developed a passion for cooking as well, especially soups.

Me: What kind of an experience do you want to give to your customers every time they visit?

Kyle & Rachel: We aim to create an atmosphere that is welcoming and where the customer knows he/she is appreciated.

We strongly believe an emphasis on customer service is paramount.

Another huge focus that is just as important to us is consistency, a coffee shop or a restaurant that is hit and miss will never become someone’s favourite place to go. We put the same standards of craftsmanship, quality and presentation on everything we offer. Wether it is perfecting our free pour technique when making a cappuccino or getting the texture of the soup that day spot on, there are many things that have to be just right for these things to happen. It is our job as business owners to find out what those things are and strive for perfection in those areas.

Me: During my visit, you mentioned something about starting a blog to review coffee shops; when do you think we can expect an appearance of that?

Kyle & Rachel: We hope to have it up by the end of the year, no exact time really.

Me: If there was something you could say to a world-wide audience, asking why they should come see you guys… What would it be?

Kyle & Rachel: At Anchor we aim to be the best in all areas of our industry – coffee, tea, baked goods, lunch fare, etc. Quality, passion and consistency is what we want to be known for, and because of that we are constantly challenging ourselves to improve.

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Kyle and Rachel clearly love what they do – And when you visit their shop, you’ll love what they do as well. Getting to taste, literally, the joy and passion that another person loves to give is a beautiful thing.

Thanks for reading! Back as soon as I can.

—Naomi