Just across the way from us, kitty-corner to our shop in NW Portland, you'll see a quaint and always bustling coffee shop – the kind that serves up your drinks while checking on your recent kitchen remodel or asking how your daughter's new puppy is doing. Yeah, those places really exist.
Dragonfly Coffee is owned and operated by Erin Timmins. We recently sat down with her to chat about all things cool in her world. Betsy & Iya has a total love for her (and her coffee shop), so it only made sense to let you in on her magic...
And boy is she magic.
Above left: Erin in our Colima Ring in sea foam, and a stack of gold-filled and sterling stacking rings. Above right: Ipsum studs with white diamond, Suru studs, and small sterling silver Bombona hoops. Shop Erin's look.
Lounging barefoot in her garden oasis tucked perfectly (and ever so secretly) behind the coffee shop, we chatted about how to stay confident in what you're doing, knowing and loving your allies, and the really cute woodpecker sitting above us.
Erin isn't here to offer any sort of business advice or wisdom gained in her entrepreneurial pursuits. In fact her humility is so palpable that she had a hard time even believing we wanted to interview her. Yes, Erin. You're that cool!
"I'm just one little person who happens to love making coffee for people."
She is here to tell stories about her dad, who has helped her realize every part of her dreams, who has been her strongest ally and – still to this day – the coffeeshop handyman. She's here to laugh about the friends she's made who come in for their coffee every single day and end up hiring her staff to be their babysitters or dog walkers. She's here to gush about her team working endlessly to make the place everything it is. She wipes away tears talking about her team. “It's the people. It's always been about the people.” This conversation isn't about her.
Making coffee for people – that's what it came down to when she graduated from college and started her first coffee cart and it's still what anchors her today. “It's more than just customer and server. If you miss the simplicity of service or simplicity of making a friend, you're missing it all.”
On Erin (L to R): a stack of gold-filled and sterling stacking rings, Colima ring in sea foam, and our sterling silver Willamette Ring, which wraps the shape of the river and its banks around your finger. Shop Erin's look.
Erin says her purpose is to bring a community of people together that are compassionate, creative, excited to serve others, and excited to serve each other. We dig that, and woah, how lucky are we to have serendipitously ended up with Erin as our neighbor!
Swing into Dragonfly Coffee and say hi to Erin. Then stroll over to Betsy & Iya. And bring your friends. They'll thank you for it.
Find Dragonfly Coffee just (literally) across the street from the Betsy & Iya flagship at DRAGONFLY COFFEE HOUSE / 2387 NW Thurman St. / Portland, OR 97210.
