Julie Mierzwiak must have the heart of a lion.

She's the entrepreneur and owner of Realfine Coffee whose two existing locations on Fauntleroy Way SW and on Capitol Hill at 616 Pine Street are well known. But just before the pandemic began she took out a lease on a third location, this one at 7900 35th Ave SW. just next to Locol Barley and Vine and near Kenyon Hall and The Westy Sports and Spirits. Then COVID-19 caused many businesses to cutback or close. For Julie it led to a drop of around 50% in business (and the bridge closure did not help) and a big delay in her plans for a new spot. But she has persevered. Now the shop is opening on Tuesday, January 26. 

With the help of friend and associate Mike Howell she has built out the location that has been over the years a small grocery store, flower shop and beer outlet into a contemporary, clean and very cleverly COVID safe coffee shop. It's clever because the counter itself is behind a removable wood and plexiglass framework that is not only visually pleasing but very safe for customers and staff. 

She started the original store on Fauntleroy in 2015, then opened the Capitol Hill location in 2018. "This is my 20th year in Seattle," said the Toledo, Ohio native. Though she has a background in Occupational Therapy upon arrival she did a few jobs in her early days here then got a job with A Place For Mom, a startup at the time. When her job was eliminated a friend suggested she try to get a job as a barista. She landed a job at Uptown Espresso, on Delridge Way. She worked there for nine years. 

"I just fell in love with the community. I realized what coffee does to a community. It brings people together, and the connections I made with people back then, I'm still friends with, all these years later. Some of them I call my family."

But as things sometimes go one of the customers there would have a pivotal role for Julie. "Her name was Mauree McKaen or just Mo. She and I hit it off right away and she ended up being my mentor. She coached me and said, 'You would be a great entrepreneur,' so I thought, 'What do I know? I know coffee and i know this community. She taught me the steps on what to do and how to be an entrepreneur." 

Then fighting tears Julie said, "She passed away just about a year ago. So we painted a little humming bird on the wall in memory of her. She was really special to me."

Some of what she learned from Mo and from experience has honed what she looks for in employees. "They have to know the coffee culture. I'm a vibey person and I like to get a sense of people. So I like to create a really good work environment for my baristas so they can grow and come into their own. It's been fun to watch them really flourish. We have a really good product (Herkimer Coffee a small batch roaster on Phinney Ridge) and all of our products are products are as local as can be, down to our espresso machine which is made by a guy here in West Seattle." That machine is by Synesso, built in Georgetown.

Realfine is a homegrown coffee company, not a giant chain and their beverages. We are more like an old school coffee shop," said Julie,

Mike Howell said, "There are big companies and giant global chains and there's companies like us who want to maintain not a traditional style but what they call 'Third Wave'. There's no blenders, we don't make these big creamy, sugary drinks. We are more like a true espresso shop."

They must be doing something right because they have a loyal following. "i've always been really proud about how we've gotten the word out." said Julie, "It's mostly by word of mouth. I think that is the biggest compliment from our neighborhood and the community. That's what it's all about for us. During this time, people are really looking to connect. I tell my barista's this all the time, 'You might be the only person they talk to during the day.' and they really make a difference."

One thing Realfine does is to finish off each cup with latte art. Even in the world as it is with everything in a to go cup, if you opened that lid, you'd see the care that went into making that beverage.

They offer a full range of espresso drinks including Lattes, Americanos, Italian sodas, London Fog, Hot Chocolate. 

Realfine offers pastry and bread products from Macrina Bakery and Gluten Free options from Flying Apron Bakery and Mighty O Donuts. Milk products are supplied by Liberty Dairy 'They use local dairy farmers and the quality is really great". Teas are from Rishi. 

They are open Monday through Friday 6am to 3pm and 7am to 3pm on Saturday and Sunday.

On Saturday, January 30 they will have very special "pop-up" featuring Jet City Beignet  the West Seattle based provider of that specialty pastry.

The other businesses on the block are excited to have the new shop open, since more traffic and visibility are always good. They've dubbed in "The Kenyon Junction" in fact and plan on collaborating on special events in the future. 

Based on the support from the community and the visibility of the new location it's easy to predict the new shop will do real fine.