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OYSTER POINTER is a monthly publication about business in the Oyster Pointer area of Newport News, VA. More About the Oyster Pointer Publication Submit Your Ideas and Thoughts “Oyster Pointer Salutes:” Archives Request
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Pointer Salutes: Harbor Café: Custom coffee, comfortable setting “Everything is custom-made and fresh-made” at Harbor Café, says Shelia Humphrey, co-owner and general manager. If you can’t find your coffee drink listed on the menu, ask Humphrey to customize it just the way you want it; she’s up to the challenge. “We have a list of more than 75 flavors,” she says. Harbor Café’s motto is “All-Ways a Good Cup of Coffee!” and the café has its own house blend. “It’s done in a medium roast as opposed to dark. Our coffee tastes so much better. It doesn’t have the burnt taste” that some competitors have, Humphrey says. Harbor Café was founded in 1997 after a friend of Humphrey’s came back from a trip to Washington State impressed with the variety of coffee shops throughout that region; he wanted to bring that back to the East Coast, so he teamed up with Humphrey and her husband, Earl, to open a locally oriented coffee shop in Newport News. After having been at several locations throughout the city, Harbor Café now resides in the Liz Moore realty building at the corner of Canon and Thimble Shoals Boulevards. Humphrey says Moore really wanted a coffee shop in the building, and after a long search, she was able to get Humphrey to bring Harbor’s custom flavors and friendly atmosphere into Oyster Point. Harbor Café has seven employees, including Humphrey’s son, Dwayne. Humphrey owns Harbor Café with her husband and a friend, John Baker. “We’re three equal partners,” she says, noting that, while establishing the balance between business and family/friendship relationships can be tricky at times, things are good. Humphrey opens the doors at six in the morning, spending the first couple of hours getting organized for the day and serving the early morning customers who trickle in. The busiest time of the breakfast rush is between eight and 10, and it gets really busy at lunch, with sometimes 15 people in line at the register. It can be a challenge to keep things moving briskly with that much traffic, but Humphrey can handle it and believes her customers understand—“We are custom-making everything. We don’t make anything until it’s ordered,” she says. Harbor Café also does a lot of catering, providing big breakfasts and lunches for busy Oyster Point business people. Some of Harbor Café’s customer favorites? “Our paninis are one of the big favorites these days...I’m pretty well known for my chicken salad...[and] everybody loves our sausage, egg and cheese croissant.” Humphrey has crafted a comfortable, relaxing environment—in addition to the usual coffee tables, Harbor Café provides a comfy couch, a chess board table and music at the right volume—loud enough to hear it, but not so loud you can’t hear anything else. “I just want people to feel at home,” Humphrey smiles. In her free time, Humphrey enjoys going to the beach, watching movies and reading. She most enjoys the people aspect of her job—“I definitely don’t like the paperwork,” she says. By providing customized drinks and a friendly atmosphere, Humphrey believes she can achieve a major goal: “If [customers] are having a bad day, I try to bring them out of it.” |
