Small Businesses of Anchorage: North Cup Espresso

In May 2004, the Bureau of Labor Statistics published a report in its monthly labor review titled “Alaska’s ‘brain drain’: myth or reality?” 

The report details trends, that more young people are starting to leave the state and not return. These trends have only increased since the report was published.

Despite these trends, Alaska — especially Anchorage — has continued to see numerous small businesses open. One such business is North Cup Espresso. 

The Northern Light interviewed North Cup Espresso founder Kelsa Northrup.

Working in coffee for over a decade, Northrup was looking to open her own coffee shop. When she visited Alaska, she was immediately struck by the beauty of the state, but was discouraged by the oversaturated coffee shop industry in Anchorage. 

After trying drinks from some of those businesses, Northrup said she was unimpressed and felt like she could make a successful coffee shop in town. She said her confidence came from other businesses not caring about what she cares about. 

“I care about what I put my name behind, and I just love drink making and drink science,” she said.

Tantamount to the drink quality for Northrup is customer service. She said that her shops don’t just serve drinks, and that she likes being a friendly face for her customers. 

“People don’t just come for a drink. They come to be heard, seen, loved or appreciated and I genuinely care.” 

Northrup said she wasn’t expecting her drinks to blow up in popularity. She said a focus on quality ingredients and natural flavors drew in clientele that she had never really served anywhere she had previously worked. 

Northrup said she enjoys the process of making and naming her own drinks for the menu. She sorts drinks and flavors into categories, then focuses on how she can expand on them. 

Customers can also be inspirations for menu staples. The Lily Fog is a drink that a customer named Lily ordered. The beverage has become one of North Cup’s most sold drinks since Northrup put it on the menu.

Northrup said she likes the independence that comes with owning her own business. “I feel like I’m actually doing good work, not just waking up and feeling unfulfilled by a ‘normal’ job.”

She said starting her own business was a dream of hers, but it has been more work than she initially thought. Owning a business has led to many problems Northrup said she had never thought of.

Beyond that aspect, she said that customer service, while rewarding, adds more challenges on top of being an owner. 

“I try to please everybody, but I have to compartmentalize bad interactions when I can’t, and just move on,” she said.

Recently, North Cup Espresso expanded from its one location on the corner of Fireweed Lane and Eagle Street, opening a second location in the Denali Towers North. Only having opened her first location two years ago this October, Northrup was not thinking she would have opened a second location this soon.

With the new location having seating, Northrup said her focus when laying out the interior was on making the location feel comfortable. 

“If people feel too crowded, or the light hurts, it’s unpleasant and people won’t buy anything or come back in the future,” she said.

Many coffee shops have spread themselves out across Anchorage, but Northrup said she would likely stick to just the two locations. She said it’s hard to find more staff that fit the standards she has for the business, both in beverage preparation and customer service. 

Northrup said that if she could go back and give herself advice, she would tell herself not to just focus on the end result of owning her own business. “When you’re young and you have the steam, you don’t see all this work, but you gotta dredge through to get to that end picture you saw at the beginning,” she said.

The main location off Fireweed is open seven days a week from 6:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays and 7:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on weekends. The cafe is open Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.