THE STORY

In 2006, Brian and his then two-year-old daughter, Kate, took the Amtrak cross country from New York to Edmonds. On the walk from Edmonds Station to his parents' place, Kate said she was thirsty so they walked into a tiny coffee shop next to the Edmonds Theater. After getting Kate some water, Brian asked about the handwritten "For Sale" sign in the window. The woman behind the counter said the place had been for sale for 2 years and asked Brian if he wanted to buy it. Brian said, "sure" and she gave him a telephone number.

A month later, it was time for Brian and Kate to head back home to New York. The night before their flight, Brian's beloved step-father, Ken Moses, passed away suddenly and Kate's mom, Louise Favier, suggested the family move to Edmonds for a year to help out the family. After reluctantly agreeing, Brian dug out that phone number and called the coffee shop. Thanks to real estate agent Kim Gardner and the Mayo family building owners, Brian & Louise opened Daphnes in June, 2007. The photo of the woman on a Vespa that hangs in the bar is Daphne, their dear friend.

Brian worked every shift the first year and the bar was moderately successful with a certain Seinfeld episode "soup shop" vibe. A few years later, Desmond Van Rensburg walked in the door and Louise hired him on the spot. The rest, as they say, is history.