There's something holding our Sandy store together, something more than wood and tile and plumbing, something less easy to define. That something is James.
Now, let's not discount all the folks who built and sustain the neighborhood culture at 5347 NE Sandy: from daily baristas and shift leads like Jessica, Aaron, Marayah, and several others to regular and sporadic customers, our culture is a web woven from relationships. But in the center of this tapestry, with a sharp eye for details, is James Niewinski, store manager.
Born in a suburb of Detroit, James moved to Portland in 2010 because, as he says, "Other people had a mountain in their backyard. I didn't see why I couldn't too!" Formerly a casual coffee drinker, he became a regular at Coffeehouse NW (a Portland coffee icon owned by good friend Adam McGovern) after a life-changing experience with a latte. James, who joined the Case Study team in April 2012, "just sort of fell into" the management job, because he cared about all those tiny details--from directing a bewildered customer to checking the light fixtures for dust--that make a successful manager.
When he's not working, James visits a local gym, shoots amateur photography, and "does typical Pacific Northwest things, you know, like hiking." Chances are you know this guy well. If not, stop by and say hello!
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