Minding My Business: Buzz Coffee Shop & Cafe

Editor's Note: Minding My Business is a weekly column that will offer an up-close and personal look at Burnsville businesses and the people behind their success. Check back every Friday for a new installation of Minding My Business.

Burnsville Patch: How long have you been in business?

Liz Kohagen: We're actually coming up on our two-year anniversary in a couple of weeks. Our grand opening was May 1, 2009.

Burnsville Patch: Anything special planned for the big day?

Kohagen: I'm working on that. Our big monthly celebration is our Open Mic Night which comes on the first Saturday of every month. In May, that day is the seventh so I'm hoping to combine the two.

Burnsville Patch: What other weekly or monthly events do you host?

Kohagen: Open Mic is the big one and we also have Waffle Bonanza, which is every third Sunday of the month. We offer all-you-can-eat waffles for $5.

Burnsville Patch: I've got to ask, what is the record for Waffle Bonanza?

Kohagen: Six waffles in one sitting. Those aren't plain waffles either, those included all the fixings.

Burnsville Patch: Where can readers find you on social media? 

Kohagen (laughing): We're on Facebook for sure. I laugh because I think Facebook is wonderful and I can handle that. But with Twitter I've got some kind of mental block. I've got someone who helps me with social media and apparently, we do tweet regularly. I know it's out there but I don't personally do it. I know we're on twitter, so follow us there. We've also got a website too.

Burnsville Patch: When I come in here, the first thing I see is a coffee shop. But Buzz seems to be much more than that...

Kohagen: For me, the most important thing we offer is community; By that I mean the community we've created in here as well as the larger community we are a part of outside these doors. I would put 'creating community' as the number one goal of Buzz. Aside from that though, we make great coffee and great food and we offer a lot of entertainment and we have lot of fun doing it. 

Burnsville Patch: On the subject of food, when I look at the menu I see a lot of things I have never seen anywhere else. Is everything on the menu exclusive to Buzz?

Kohagen: Yes. Everything we have are creations from me or the staff here. I definitely cannot take credit for all of it. I pull from a lot of different resources. My sister went to culinary school so I ask her a lot of questions. I also listen to suggestions from customers and vendors and employees. 

Burnsville Patch: On the subject of business, you opened Buzz during a particularly difficult time for the small businesses. What are some of these challenges to owning and operating a small business during a massive recession?

Kohagen: There are a lot of challenges. Absolutely. You've got to do as much as you can with as few resources as possible. For example, we're a small coffee shop with a good location but we can be hard to find. As you can imagine we've got only a small budget to get our name out there. Probably my biggest focus has been getting my name out there in a cost-effective way.  

Burnsville Patch: What is the key to minding your business?

Kohagen: Being present while I'm here and engaging with the people who come in. I've also got to balance that with the logistical side of the business. They're both very important. You cannot let one of them go. 

Burnsville Patch: What is the best part about running your own coffee shop and cafe?

Kohagen: The people. Definitely.

Burnsville Patch: The people you work with or customers? 

Kohagen: Both. Getting to know everyone in the community is wonderful. There are people we only see once and we get to hear a little bit of their story, which is fun, but then you've got the regulars that come from all over. Getting know them and the employees is just really fun.

Burnsville Patch: How many employees do you have?

Kohagen: Right now, we've got eight. We usually fluctuate between five and eight people.

Burnsville Patch: Who are your most loyal customers?

Kohagen: One of the things I really like is that it is hard to pinpoint our biggest customer base. We've got the senior high campus just down the street. We've also got the senior center across the street. We've got offices in front of us and residences behind us. So we get all kinds of different people coming through. 

Burnsville Patch: When you first wrote your business plan, what did you see as the Buzz mission?

Kohagen: Creating a community; offering high quality in all aspects of the business; and art.

Burnsville Patch: Art?

Kohagen: Yes. We have wonderful pieces of art on the walls, we offer live music, and we use creativity in our food and drinks. The artistic side is a big part of Buzz. I just have always had a strong interest in art. I would call myself an art geek.

Burnsville Patch: On the subject of you, who or what inspires you?

Kohagen: Family. For me, family is the most important thing.

Burnsville Patch: What are you reading right now?

Kohagen: I'm actually re-reading Blink by Malcom Gladwell right now. I really like him, I just think he's a very interesting writer. Before this I was reading a book about Gordon Yock, a local businessman who did a lot for small-business merchandising, so that was an interesting read. 

Burnsville Patch: What are the top three bands on your iPod right now? 

Kohagen: Amos Lee is in there; Davina and the Vagabonds is a local jazz and blues band, I just love them; and probably Ben Harper.

Burnsville Patch: What are the long-term plans for you and Buzz? Can we expect to see Buzz popping up throughout the metro area any time soon?

Kohagen: Right now I'm focusing on just growing the business and growing my knowledge in the business. At the moment, there are no plans for expansion.