Coffee Girl founder sells business to employee

Published 5:00 pm Sunday, October 31, 2010

When Coffee Girl founder Zetty McKay decided to sell, she offered the popular business to her staff first.

Employee Debbi Boissett jumped at the chance, buying the popular café on Sept. 9.

“This is a turnkey business,” she said. “It has a following. And the ‘coffee girls’ are fun.”

McKay, who opened Coffee Girl five years ago at Pier 39 in Astoria, opted to sell in part because her lease was up, and in part to devote her time and energy elsewhere.

“Coffee Girl exceeded my expectations for success, but I wanted to have more time for my two babies and support my husband in the expansion of Fort George,” she said.

With her background in media she was a broadcast journalist in Eugene for a time and experience in public relations, she plans to continue promoting Astoria’s Fort George Brewery and Public House, of which her husband, Chris Nemlowill, is co-owner.

When she opened the coffee shop, McKay honored the space’s initial incarnation over 100 years ago as a fish cannery.

“Coffee Girl, from its cannery origins, has always been about serving the workers on their breaks, and it evolved into hard-working local girls preparing world-class coffee,” she said.

Boissett, who grew up in Astoria, is among such hard-working women. She started as a baker at Coffee Girl in February. “I’ve always wanted to bake,” she said.

McKay is confident that Boissett will continue in the Coffee Girl spirit in her own way.

“Coffee Girl should continue to evolve as it always has,” she said.

One of the changes Boissett has implemented is a Coffee Girl artist of the month, with receptions from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. every third Saturday.

For more information, call Coffee Girl at (503) 325-6900.