How Narrative Coffee Did It — Live in Everett

This is the story of a successful startup—a coffee shop in Everett that continues to exceed expectations.

It begins with a can of Folgers in the desert of Southeastern Arizona.

Maxwell Mooney was in his teens. For much of his life coffee had been off limits. He wanted to see what the hype was about.

He felt he should like coffee.

So he and his dad opened a can of Folgers. They brewed a cuppa Joe with a coffee pot, added powdered creamer. Sipped. Seemed good enough.

This was his first coffee experience.

Years later Maxwell was living in Kirkland, going to school. He had a “life changing latte” at Zoka, a specialty coffee shop. He was in love.

By his own admission Maxwell’s personality trends toward the obsessive when it comes to details.

He fell headlong into the world of online coffee forums. He spent hours reading information, scrolling all the info internet search engines could throw at him.

He bought an espresso machine in 2012. At that point he already knew that he would have a coffee shop. Later that year he created the name Narrative and made a Facebook page .

Maxwell worked a number of specialty coffee jobs, honing his technique.

He turned his home into a makeshift beverage laboratory. He pulled shots, poured latte art, roasted his own beans 50 grams at a time in a popcorn popper.

For years the idea of Narrative was there, it only needed to find its expression in a place. Maybe it needed a place called Everett, Washington.

In early spring 2014 he put together a business plan.

One day Maxwell was driving by the Potala Place Apartments on Hewitt Avenue. In the window of a retail space he saw the phone number of Lanie McMullan, Economic Director for the City of Everett.

“All it took was a phone call,” he says.

That got the ball rolling. Lanie matched him to a business mentor, Diane.

Maxwell started searching for the right spot in town. He worked with Diane to put together a financial plan, exploring funding opportunities.

While he was waiting for the right brick and mortar spot he kept thinking about a cart that was sitting in his garage.

At Lanie's suggestion, Maxwell opened the Narrative pop up stand in Wetmore Plaza in the summer of 2016.

The cart was wildly popular, drawing lines of caffeine enthusiasts attracted to the idea of sipping gourmet beverages in an al fresco setting.

On July 7th, 2016 Maxwell and a business partner walked past a beautiful vintage 1920s building in the downtown core—a place with exposed brick walls, skylights, and thick timber beams. They instantly knew it was the place.

So much of opening a business is permits and codes. The city helped Maxwell navigate this red tape.

The city believed in his vision of Narrative Coffee.

You know the rest of the story. Today Narrative is open and perpetually hopping, drawing customers from all walks of life all day long.

If there’s a phrase that Maxwell doesn’t like it’s “Oh, that’s pretty good… for Everett.”

Nope. He believes that the city is right now attracting people with ideas, entrepreneurs and artists who want to make things that are darn good on any level—regionally, nationally. People who want to be excellent in their field.

Moreover, the city is ripe for small startups. There are vacant spots with reasonably-priced leases just waiting for a tenant with a vision.

Maxwell tells me his story as we sit in Narrative on a sunny day in early fall. The place is airy, clean, bright. It’s hard to believe that our surroundings are the natural evolution of something that started with a Folgers can in Arizona.

He’s still obsessed with coffee, by the way. “When I get tired of it—that’s when I’ll quit.”

Doesn’t seem like that will be any time soon.

Everett is good for startups. We have spaces. We have raw talent. What's your idea?

You're in the right place at the right time.

Narrative Coffee
2927 Wetmore Ave.

Hours
Monday thru Friday: 7 AM - 8 PM
Saturday: 8 AM - 8 PM
Sunday: 8 AM - 5 PM