E-Gad! Only a week until Christmas!

It's been a very busy Friday morning at the shop so I'm going to repeat last week's bulleted format simply for the sake of trying to get this newsletter completed.

• Last Saturday we enjoyed sampling coffees from Latin America. It was an informative event and many remarked on how nice it was to be able to sample the coffees sequentially, enabling one to really distinguish the nuances each coffee offers. Tomorrow at 1pm and each Saturday we'll be sampling more coffees from various regions. Come taste a selection of organic/fair trade coffees and experience what makes our coffees so special.

• We've received some new items, just in time for the holidays. We have some nice ceramic hand coffee grinders, logo t-shirts, books on coffee and a new book titled, "PDXccentric". It's full of oddities particular to the various neighborhoods of Portland. A perfect stocking stuffer!

• The images adorning our exterior wall continue to generate a lot of buzz. They represent the work of Ted Mishima and Susan Dewett. In February, we will be featuring their work as well as that of local florist Francoise Weeks with an opening showcasing their collective work. Stay tuned.

• Please visit Marvel29.com and vote for St. Johns Coffee as the Spirit of St. Johns grant recipient. If we receive enough votes, Marvel 29 will provide a matching grant which will allow us to add exterior seating with umbrellas to our storefront. Voting ends January 10th, 2015.

• Many of you have noticed some new faces working here in the shop. I'd like to take this opportunity to welcome Svetlana Owens, Marc Beckley, Oluyinka Akinjiola, and Peder Berthelsen. I'm excited to have these folks helping make our shop even more special.

• The new European baked delights have proven to be a very popular addition. Come in and enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea. We have a poppy seed loaf, a ginger bread/honey spice
• bread and a sweet bread with dried fruit and fruit preserves.
• Custom orders are available on each of these if you'd like to take one to a holiday party.

• And just a reminder that the shop will be closed on Friday, December 26th. However, we'll reopen Saturday the 27th at 8 am.

If you're a business owner and would like to share our coffee with some of your customers, employees or whoever, just let us know. You can select one or several coffees from our list of available coffees and share the goodness. Call for information.

In addition to the amazing selection of organic and fair trade coffees, we also have a nice assortment of pottery from Mexico, t-shirts, coffee grinders and other assorted brewing equipment.

If you would like to provide brewed coffee for office parties or holiday gatherings, just let us know. We can provide brewed airpots of coffee with all the accessories.