- Summer 1997 – I worked as a barista.
- July 1999 – Joe gets a job selling music to bookstores across the country.
- September 2000 – I had a vision of a coffee shop where people could come and feel loved and welcome.
- November 2001 – Joe began (and eventually completed) writing a business plan for our own coffee shop and bookstore.
- December 2001 – Joe buys a ton of books and music for us to sell online.
- March 2002 – Joe becomes a national sales rep, selling even more music to more bookstores.
- June 2005 – Joe graduates from Bible college and starts the process of planting a church with a coffee house atmosphere.
- August 2010 – After several years of failure, heartache and frustration, JoKars Wild moves to Central Oregon and falls in love with Prineville.
- November 18th, 2010 – While looking for a job in the local classifieds, Joe spots an ad for a coffee shop and bookstore looking to sell the business.
- December 15th, 2010 – JoKars Wild becomes the proud owner of Book & Bean.
While there is far more to this story…like how we once left a church because of their failure to pursue the vision they had of a church with a coffee house atmosphere, or all the businesses we started that never took off, or all the bookseller conventions Joe attended over the years…I think that would have to be for a book…
Again, I am amazed and humbled by how great God is. God does not forget. God knows our hearts. God has a plan.
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Cindy Knull said,
December 13, 2010 @ 10:29 am
Amazing. It’s always been in your heart for all the years I’ve known you. Our dreams may take a detour, or may take a sabbatical but God always brings it right back around. I’m glad you two jumped at the opportunity! WOW!
Danielle Ambrose said,
December 13, 2010 @ 10:56 am
I can’t wait to come check it out.
Holly @ MooBee said,
December 13, 2010 @ 12:22 pm
CHURCH can happen anywhere! But coffee shops make some of the best venues!
Mama K said,
December 13, 2010 @ 8:56 pm
Agreed!
Busy, busy, busy… | JoKars Wild said,
December 26, 2010 @ 11:44 am
[...] Activities / Events Calendar ← The Book & Bean [...]
We Are Not Alone | JoKars Wild said,
February 15, 2011 @ 12:20 pm
[...] been about 3 weeks, I think, since my last post. And its been about 2 months since my family bought Book & Bean. In these two months I have been stretched in ways I never thought [...]
Clinging | JoKars Wild said,
March 14, 2011 @ 8:46 am
[...] Wild is now nearing three months of ownership of Book & Bean, and over these last few months my authorship on this blog has gotten less and less. But my desire [...]