Armed with a biology degree, Jennifer \u201cJen\u201d Byard took her first career step by becoming an autopsy assistant for a medical examiner. \u201cThe real CSI,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was pretty interesting.\u201d But the Gen-Xer\u2019s career would wind down a twisting path, including 15 years in the nonprofit world, before the 44-year-old wife and mother of three boys decided upon her latest business venture.<\/p>\n
Natalie Gill, a 28 year old from Normal Heights, was born and raised in the Bay Area. She danced at the San Francisco Ballet until she was 16, when she realized that she didn\u2019t want to do that for the rest of her life. After studying psychology at UC San Diego, she worked for a while in neuroscience and \u201cstudied the brains of rats\u201d at a lab at Scripps. That didn\u2019t appeal to her either. \u201cI realized that I was dissatisfied with my career choices,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Two women from two different generations came together last year to share a vision of operating two individually owned businesses under the same roof. Shared spaces is a big trend in today’s business world.<\/p>\n Almost a month ago, Byard opened her Communal Coffee shop and Gill debuted her Native Poppy flower shop in a one-story building, located on the southwest corner of University Avenue and Texas Street in North Park, which formerly housed a store that sold lamps and lighting fixtures. The busy intersection \u2014 and its long traffic light \u2014 guarantees high visibility to the two new businesses.<\/p>\n COMMUNAL COFFEE<\/strong><\/p>\n Byard was born and raised in Olympia, Washington, then moved to Seattle in the 1980s when her mom opened a coffee shop. She returned to her hometown to attend St. Martin\u2019s College.<\/p>\n Now living in South Park, Byard and her husband have three boys, ages 13, 11 and 8. She has been part of the McKinley Elementary School family, and for many years was involved in fundraising through the school\u2019s annual SoNo Fest and Chili Cook-Off.<\/p>\n She and her husband worked for many years for Young Life, a nondenominational Christian nonprofit that serves students from middle school through college. Her husband still works there, she said.<\/p>\n Since leaving the nonprofit world, Byard said she has been a \u201cstay-at-home mom\u201d and has a son with Down syndrome. But as her boys got older, she ached to embrace her entrepreneurial spirit. She began producing the biannual Makers Arcade fair Downtown and started the Urban Craft Camp for adults.<\/p>\n Last year, Byard began thinking about \u201ccreating a space that was welcoming, like your living room, but with a communal aspect,\u201d she said, adding that she wanted a shared space for two separate businesses that could co-exist. She happened to be friends with Paul Hunyady \u2014 their children went to school together at McKinley \u2014 who was operating his office in the building in front of his North Park Nursery, located on Texas Street just south of University Avenue. Their idea was to have two shops to share the 1,000-square-foot building and create a synergy that would benefit all the businesses on the property, including the nursery and Urban Plantation.<\/p>\n Once the idea was locked down, Byard searched for another business that would fit in well with a coffee shop. That led her to Gill, who for the past two years has operated a floral shop out of her home.<\/p>\n The next step was to refurbish the old store, and Byard decided to serve as the contractor \u2014 a role she has never undertaken before. The place was gutted. All the plumbing had to be replaced. She learned that dealing with the city was time-consuming and daunting.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a full rebuild,\u201d she said. \u201cIt took six months from the start of the lease to our soft opening on May 7.\u201d<\/p>\n Architecturally, Byard describes the building as a \u201cMid-Century base.\u201d Utilizing her hobby as a designer, she chose \u201cbohemian\u201d as a secondary theme. Think white as the primary color, including cabinetry, exposed rafters and the tile backsplash.<\/p>\n So much for having a soft opening on Mother\u2019s Day weekend. \u201cWe had a line down the block,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I\u2019m not really that surprised. There are no coffee shops for a mile-long stretch of University between Hillcrest and North Park.\u201d<\/p>\n San Diego Uptown News visited on a recent Monday afternoon, and the place was packed. People were lined up to order coffee and tea. Customers chose flower arrangements or bought gifts. Folks introduced their friends to other customers. Some intently worked on their laptops or iPads, ignoring the hustle and bustle around them. Others enjoyed the shade under a large canopy on the outdoor patio shared by all the businesses on-site.<\/p>\n Communal Coffee is currently open from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., but Byard expects to expand those hours after she obtains a beer and wine license and adds more food to the menu. She has a tiny kitchen space, so she is limited on what she can put on the menu.<\/p>\n Things are going so well that Byard has already had to hire more baristas.<\/p>\n The coffee shop is already a hit with the locals, many of whom walk there. That\u2019s a good thing, since there are only four parking spots on the property, but plenty of street parking in the vicinity. The No. 10 and No. 7 buses also stop nearby. There\u2019s a bike rack outside, too.<\/p>\n Byard has noticed visitors from Orange County, L.A. and as far away as Montreal. The French Canadians told her that they had heard about her business via Instagram, which one recent weekend named Communal Coffee as the No. 1 place to visit for coffee in San Diego.<\/p>\n \u201cThe craft coffee community of San Diego has really supported us,\u201d Byard said. \u201cWe don\u2019t view each other as competition; we support each other.\u201d<\/p>\n Communal Coffee is featuring craft coffee from Sightglass in San Francisco. \u201cThey are a great roaster,\u201d Byard said. \u201cTheir roasts are medium and floral. I also loved how the company is run. We have a lot of people who have moved here from the Bay Area who are very familiar with their coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n Bryard notes that she gave Seattle\u2019s legendary coffee brands a shot at being featured on the menu. \u201cI gave Seattle a chance,\u201d she said. \u201cBut Seattle\u2019s roasts are darker and less flavorful.\u201d<\/p>\n Sightglass also offered \u201cexcellent training,\u201d she said. \u201cMy girls are trained about the finer points of coffee \u2014 and tea.\u201d<\/p>\n Yes, to date, Bryard has only hired women as baristas although a man was interviewing the day Uptown News was there. \u201cIt just happened that way,\u201d she said, smiling.<\/p>\n NATIVE POPPY<\/strong><\/p>\n Natalie Gill wasn\u2019t sure she wanted to give up her freedom to join a brick-and-mortar business operation. After all, she was working from home where she could create a bouquet of flowers while lounging around in her pajamas, she said. \u201cAnd I didn\u2019t have to clean up at night if I was too tired,\u201d she said, laughing.<\/p>\n![\"Natalie](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Natalie-Gill-Jennifer-Byardwebtop.jpg\")
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