Brewing coffee, spinning stories
Louise Bolger | sun
Matthew and Beverly Lesnick spin stories and
brew coffee at the Island Coffee Haus.
What do mermaids and coffee have to do with each other? You might think not much but then of course Anna Maria is an island and practically everything has to do with the ocean.
Beverly and M.J. Lesnick opened Island Coffee Haus in November of last year hoping their vision of a local neighborhood coffee house was just what was needed in Holmes Beach. The comfortable shop has sofas and antique tables inviting you to linger over your brew, chat with a neighbor or check your e-mail with their free wi-fi connection.
The Island Coffee Haus has all kinds of coffee drinks, including blended drinks like Mocha Chip and Coconut Creame, smoothies and tea. They also carry pastries, prepare sandwiches for both lunch and breakfast and have juice and water available. The baked goods are either made in house by Beverly Lesnick or purchased locally some as close as Pine Avenue.
M.J. Lesnick had been visiting Anna Maria for 12 years and Beverly Lesnick was living and working in Tampa after living in the Azores for two years where getting together over coffee is part of the culture. With Beverly’s experience managing in the food service industry for a large hotel chain and opening up two Starbucks in Tampa they felt opening a coffee shop on the Island was a natural next step. In August of 2012 Beverly Lesnick gave up her corporate job, moved to Anna Maria and set the wheels in motion.
Not only did Beverly Lesnick bring with her to the Island her son Matthew Lesnick who works in the shop but she also brought her Great Great Grandmother’s Story of the Mermaid. The fable tells the story of a young man wandering the beach with a mug of coffee when he sees a beautiful pink dress. A mermaid appeared and said if you treasure my pink dress I will marry you. They married and displayed the pink dress over the mantel until one day the pink dress was gone and so was the mermaid. The man, no longer young, continued to find his coffee waiting each morning and continued to wander the beach.
Beverly Lesnick turned her family story into the logo for her coffee house complete with a beautiful pink dress displayed above the counter. You can even buy T-shirts, hats and coffee mugs with the Island Coffee Haus’ pink mermaid logo as well as coffee to take home and brew yourself.
Meeting people from around the world is one of the most satisfying parts of owning Island Coffee Haus, says Beverly Lesnick. She loves her new business which is something she always wanted and she loves Anna Maria Island fulfilling another dream of hers to live near the water.
Mermaids are legendary aquatic creatures with sightings being reported from the time of Columbus, so if you want to see one up close come to the Island Coffee Haus where M.J. and Beverly Lesnick are “Mermaids In Training.” Great coffee served with a dash of fantasy.
ISLAND COFFEE HAUS
5350 Gulf Drive,
Holmes Beach
941-896-4870
www.islandcoffeehaus.com
Monday-Saturday
7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday
7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
All major credit cards
accepted