By Katie Wagner, Staff Writer
Linda C. Grimsley of Plainsboro
Age: 43
Owner/Partner of Orpha’s Coffee Shop
Montgomery Township
How did you get this job?
I was a coffee lover all my life. Everyone has a hobby and coffee is one that my husband and I share. He and I would do coffee tasting, like many people do wine tasting. We always had to have the best coffeemaker and the best coffeepot. Eventually we bought a coffee roaster for our home. After Sept. 11, my husband lost his job and we decided to start a coffee shop. One week after the opening, I quit my management job in the technology field.
What kind of education and training did you need?
We didn’t have a lot of retail knowledge, but we had coffee knowledge and we actually went to a lot of coffee trade shows where we’d just pick people’s brains. My husband started roasting coffee way before we bought the store and he now gives coffee-roasting demonstrations at trade shows. I did training on how to make espresso, which is called barista training, and we do an excellent job training everyone that comes to work here how to make good espresso. I’m always reading and watching videos on coffee and I share my materials with new employees.
Describe a typical day in your job.
My typical workday starts at 6:30 a.m. when we begin baking all our goods sold here. The store opens at 7 a.m. and from 8 to 10 a.m. we are really busy with people getting coffee before work. For lunch, we’re not really busy, but right after 2 p.m. we’ll pick up. A lot of people will use my shop as a meeting place during the afternoons.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
The interaction with customers is what I enjoy most about my job. Most of them live in the area and I enjoy just hearing them say, ‘Hi Linda, how are you?’ I’ve made excellent friends and it’s fun.
What do you enjoy least?
I hate when customers are nasty or difficult. The difficulty of finding people to work around here is also something I don’t like. Since I’m an owner, I have to be here all the time, meaning I don’t get vacation time or a salary or paycheck. While it’s hard not to get these things, the feeling of owning a place, working for something that’s mine, makes missing out on these aspects of my old job worth it.
What is the key to success in your job?
Keeping customers coming back, being friendly and acknowledging what they drink are the keys to my success. In addition to the personalized service, my passion for the product — coffee — also helps.

