Jess and Ted Dobek had a vision of providing local products and specialty drinks to the community they call home. Ted, a graphic designer, and Jess, a recent graduate, were looking to plant roots and start a family in the Westfield area. They had a dream to do something more creative.
Recently engaged, Ted found himself laid off and exploring his next step when opportunity knocked. The property that was once the Teapot Gallery lay vacant and available for its next tenants. Unable to help themselves, they took a chance to make their dream a reality, and they broke ground on what is now known as Circuit Coffee.
Sept. 11 was their two-year anniversary. We sat down with the couple and their son, Thad, to reflect on their journey.
When you decided to open Circuit Coffee, what initial goals were you looking to achieve?
We had three goals when we first opened. The first goal was to bring amazing coffee to the greater Springfield area. The second goal was to make a space that was bright and accessible. The third goal was to focus on the customer experience and connect local residents to each other and to local quality products.
Tell us about your product offerings.
We think it’s really important to get really good at just a couple of things. We keep our product offerings simple, purposefully, so that we can focus on quality versus quantity.
What kind of ingredients do you use?
We love to support local! Our dairy products are from Granby, Connecticut; our coffee is roasted in Hadley, Massachusetts; our bread comes from Wilbraham; we get our honey in Westfield; and we source our maple syrup from Worthington, Massachusetts.
We love the ambiance in here. How do you create that feeling?
We work really hard at our customer experience, from the service all the way down to our music selection. Our staff always has a smile, and we try to read the crowd when selecting our music. We play jazz a lot, and if it’s Monday, you’ll hear us playing Mozart!
It’s been two years. How has Circuit Coffee’s early success measured up against your expectations?
It has totally exceeded our expectations. We love contributing to downtown Westfield’s business growth, and it is so encouraging to see the local residents support that growth.
Where do you hope to see Circuit Coffee in the next few years?
We are looking forward to the future! We are only just beginning, and we will continue to look for opportunities to enrich the lives of our community.
"We love contributing to downtown Westfield’s business growth, and it is so encouraging to see the local residents support that growth."