Tami Donaldson opened Suri Ridge Coffeehouse Feb. 11 after more than seven months of delays. Contractor issues, inspection delays and a name change gave the entrepreneur more jitters than a quadruple shot espresso. She and her team hope the new coffee shop will prove to Falcon area caffeine junkies that it was worth the wait.Suri Ridge is in the Safeway shopping center next to Curves. The store features a variety of espresso and brewed coffee drinks, pastries and a large seating area with free Wi-Fi and television. The business added eight jobs to the Falcon community, with half the staff having previous barista experience.Donaldson looks forward to putting the pre-opening challenges behind her and making Suri Ridge an important part of the community. ìIt’s been a journey both emotionally and physically,î Donaldson said. ìSomething that took seven months should have only taken 30 to 45 days.ìWe had a lot of contractor issues. Once we took care of those issues and the legal issues around it, the county was great helping me. M&M Construction was excellent.î Donaldson said The State Bank referred her to M&M for help getting past the issues. ìOnce they got involved, we were open in three to four weeks,î she said.The coffeehouse was originally named Kunjani World Coffeehouse, but the franchise relationship with the larger company did not mesh with Donaldson’s vision for the Falcon location, she said. ìI wanted to give a hometown, down-to-earth atmosphere,î Donaldson said. ìGet a cup of coffee or tea and never feel like youíre overdressed, underdressed or outclassed. Kunjani’s vision was more the Cheyenne Mountain or Broadmoor European theme. I just wanted a place for my neighborhood to have coffee.îDonaldson’s desire to combine the coffeehouse with space for veteran transition services was also a source of contention with the franchise. ìMy passion is supporting all the vets in the rural community,î Donaldson said. ìWhatever services they need to get through their transition is where my heart is. The coffee is a way to pay the bills for me to make that available.î As a stand-alone brand, Suri Ridge will have more opportunities to be part of the community. ìAnything to be a place of the community and support the small business environment, we’ll do,î Donaldson said. ìWe’re looking forward to book signings, acoustic music nights; and I want to have the community bring their paintings. Maybe in the summer we’ll have crafts.îDespite opening within a few hundred yards of the Starbucks licensed store in Safeway, the close proximity to the corporate giant is not a concern, she said. ìIn my mind, we’re not directly competing with them. I’m not here to be a millionaire; I’m here to give Falcon some place comfortable, especially the military and veterans.î
