If Highland Park had a “Junction,” it would be 16th/Holden, with commercial buildings on two corners and Fire Station 11 on a third. The southeast corner of that intersection once held an espresso stand and is about to get a new one – Jenny’s Java Joint. We talked today with Highland Park resident Jennifer Francisco (you can call her Jen OR Jenny), who plans to open JJJ as soon as September 1st, in the spot where JoJo’s Fine Espresso closed more than a year and a half ago, next to the Seamart convenience store. Details ahead!
Jen is a 14-year resident of West Seattle and a corporate recruiter who long dreamed of opening a coffee stand.
“I’ve always wanted to do this … always.” So, she’s making the dream come true. She’s been working on Jenny’s Java Joint for more than half a year; her plans were just approved by the Health Department, she says, and now it’s time to schedule an inspection.
Her awning-equipped 8 x 10 cart – purchased from someone in Bellingham – will be set up on the southwest side of the 16th/Holden site that now holds the reopened Seamart (new ownership) and Athena’s. After months of research into beans, as well as carts and machines, Jen chose Zoka as the coffee, and is going through Zoka’s extensive barista training right now. She’ll have some basic scones and cookies for starters.
That may sound fairly par for the course, but she’s also going to use the Square payment system (which made a splash recently by teaming up with Starbucks), which will allow state-of-the-art tech touches such as e-mailing receipts if you don’t want them printed out at the cart.
Her hours will be 5 am-2 pm Mondays through Saturdays, 6 am-2 pm Sundays. And it won’t be a long commute, since her Highland Park home is less than a mile away.
While she works toward that hope of opening at the start of September, she’s getting set up online – website here, Facebook page here, and Twitter feed here.
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