LOVELOCK - Caffeine junkies can satisfy their cravings in an upscale environment without leaving town thanks to the determination of two trendsetting entrepreneurs taking a chance on Lovelock and challenging others to do the same.
Starting this week, espresso shots are being "pulled" and the milk "frothed" for customers at the Temptations coffeehouse. In two years, the business has grown beyond a neighborhood ice cream shop and deli into an eclectic coffee and wine bar, art gallery and Internet café.
Even before the machine was powered up, coffee addicts were drawn into Temptations just to admire the shiny, high-tech espresso maker known as "SAM."
"The response has been phenomenal. People come through the door every single day," Temptations owner and Lovelock native Patty Burke said last week. "Is SAM working? Is SAM working? We see power!"
SAM is an American-made Astoria "super automatic machine" designed for high-volume lattes, macchiatos, cappuccinos, mochas and other espresso concoctions, explained Elaine Barkdull Spencer, a trained "barista" and former Elko coffeehouse owner. While promoting economic development in Lovelock and other small communities across the state, she picked Temptations as the new home for her espresso machine. Last week, she demonstrated SAM's ability to churn out a full coffeehouse menu for Burke and friend Kirsten Hertz, owner of the adjacent gift shop "A Little Something."
"I was so impressed with their business sense, store cleanliness and décor," said Barkdull Spencer of Hertz and Burke. "I knew Patty needed SAM. There's an espresso market here right off I-80."
Sacramento residents Beverly Salmond and Kevin Akin proved the point as they dropped into Temptations during the barista training session. A need for coffee dragged them off the freeway, but the couple said finding the coffeehouse was "blind luck." They enjoyed the espresso drinks but suggested more business signs would help guide tourists into downtown Lovelock.
Signs are pricey but are somewhere down the list, Burke said.
Burke and Hertz's vision has transformed an old armory and parts store into an upscale gathering place with new wood flooring, track lights, comfy sofas (still to come), Internet access and a mural reminiscent of old Lovelock.
An interior mural by local artists Jennifer Osborn, Alexandra Phillips, Kendra Bohan and Darlene Vonsild was inspired by a panoramic photograph dated 1913. The photo shows a thriving Lovelock at a time when travel was slower and people stopped in towns along the way.
Modern transportation has taken a toll but Hertz and Burke hope to turn that around.
"There's a lot of opportunity," Hertz said of the commercial void in Lovelock.
"There's a lot of challenges that go with that," said Burke, finishing her friend's sentence. "Lovelock needs many things but, like Elaine alluded to, in this day and age, people are very mobile. It's nothing to hop in your car and run to Winnemucca or Fernley or Fallon or Reno."
Changing that mindset is a challenge despite the fact that city shopping requires hours of travel time and the increasing cost of fuel.
"To add to that, it's very difficult to advertise here. There's no television station or a radio station. The newspaper's great but it's only once a week," Burke said. "What really works best here is word of mouth. If it's somebody they know, they're going to trust their judgment and they're going to think 'If they're getting coffee there, I'm going to do it too.'"
As for dragging tourists off the freeway, Hertz and Burke say that's the job of government tourism agencies.
"Getting people off the freeway, that's the task of the state tourism authority and the chamber of commerce," Hertz said. "I want to see huge promotions of Lover's Lock and other attractions."
"Their responsibility is to get them into town. Our responsibility is to offer services to them when they get here," Burke said. "There has to be someone that deals with dragging them in. We have to deal with providing the best service to keep them coming back."
Burke thought the Sacramento couple was unusual because they looked beyond the obvious roadside attractions.
"There wasn't anything out there that grabbed their attention that said, 'hey, there's this business further in,'" she said. "That's something we need to work on."
Barkdull Spencer believes Temptations and A little Something could be the start of a new business trend in Lovelock.
"These shops hopefully are just the start and that more people that have the business sense of these two will start to fill up the vacancies and that downtown can eventually become revitalized," she said.
"As the business community grows and there are more retail and services available in Lovelock, more people will come here to live. They'll start to move back to the community," Barkdull Spencer said. "But, without a sustainable business community, you won't see that. It's first things first and I do believe it's happening."
"We're pretty excited. We've gone to the school district and county offices to give them an idea of what will be available" Burke said. "We are centrally located and will probably be open no later than 6 a.m. with SAM up and ready to go."
"This will be the best coffee in Lovelock."
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