LEWISBURG W.Va. (WVDN) – Back in 2021, Rachel Warner–now Rachel Warner Baker– took a business chance that has turned out to be a pretty good decision.
She and her boyfriend at the time, now husband, Jayson, opened a little coffee shop called Manic Espresso at the State Fairground entrance in a small outbuilding that was immediately embraced and recognized by the Greenbrier County community. However, at the time, Rachel had her doubts if it could be successful but decided to move forward anyway.
“We started Manic in August of 2021, and our opening day was the first day of that year’s State Fair. I did not know if it would go over at all. This is a new concept for the area, and we were thrilled that it was embraced by the community. Our customers are seriously amazing,” she said.
A couple years ago, Rachel and Jayson moved out to the west coast to Seattle, Washington, but after a one-year stay there, they decided to come back home and embark on a familiar adventure.
“We did move back to Seattle for a year.”
While it’s beautiful there, we realized it just wasn’t our scene. Things have changed out there a lot in the years I’d been away, and we missed the “home” feeling of the East Coast. Additionally, we decided we wanted to actively expand, and to do so we had to be closer and involved in that aspect of the business. We settled into a beautiful place here in the Greenbrier Valley and we are happy to be home,” Rachel said.
Now, with locations in Fairlea and Covington, VA, Rachel and Jayson are opening another one in North Lewisburg just as you turn into the Bowling Alley entrance. There are many advantages to the new spot according to Rachel, with convenience to the north residents being a major one.
“We lived north of the freeway for a year and realized the inconvenience of having to go through that “middle” section of town to reach anything substantial,” Rachel explained.
“There are a lot of businesses and residents north of that area who are underserved, and we wanted to provide a place for them that was easy to access. We were scouting possible locations, and reached out to the owner, who was actually thrilled to sell it. It worked out great for everyone. We’re excited to be one of only two drive-thrus, that we are aware of, in that area,” she exclaimed.
With numerous local and even cooperate world places to grab a coffee in the county, Manic Espresso hits a little differently for its customers and is a fan favorite for a multitude of reasons, but the main reason is how everything has to be done a certain way and the right way.
“Coming from the Seattle area, I was really missing that true, northwest Style espresso. We are committed to bringing that level of quality to our cafe’s. We start with the highest quality espresso and coffee that we can find. From there, we have extensive training; pulling a perfect shot of espresso is equal parts science and art and it DOES make a huge difference. We deep clean the machines twice a day, we measure and weigh multiple times a day to maintain the correct balance, and we time EVERY shot,” Rachel detailed.
And she continued explaining the process further.
“If it doesn’t come out perfect, it’s discarded. And that’s just for the espresso shots. Our espresso wholesaler also visits each year, showing us new techniques, products, and keeping their finger on the pulse of our business so they are able to provide the best products and services to us. Additionally, we use the highest quality and best tasting products we can find for the other ingredients of each drink. We never skimp on a product to save a few bucks. If I’m going to drink our products every day, they have to be the best. I’m a pretty demanding customer,” she added with a smile.
Rachel does not have to be as hands-on due to the great managers and employees she has at each location, but she and Jayson still play a big role in the day-to-day operations.
“I joke that my position is a full time texter,” she said laughing.
“We have multiple managers in place–over multiple aspects of this business and the other ones we own– and I spend a good portion of my day working with them to keep things operating smoothly, mostly over text. As part owner, Jayson also handles our inventory runs, lot maintenance, etc. We also do new product testing and development, operation streamlining, and other ownership type tasks, but as for the daily operations, we work with our managers to keep them running smoothly.”
But the job does present its challenges, as one would expect.
“It’s probably the same as any business owner; the fact that I’m almost never “at work” and yet ALWAYS at work,” she stressed.
“But this is where I have to give a shout out to our amazing managers. I don’t know how I got lucky enough to find the best of the best and convince them all to work for us. Manic absolutely would not be Manic without them.”
Customers are encouraged to check out the new Manic location in North Lewisburg. Rachel is hoping it will be open soon, with a goal of sometime in mid-October.
