Café Mono has an atmosphere of close community, good vibes and good coffee. Barista Nicole Vance helps make that happen. Whether she’s pouring a tall glass of iced coffee or making milk swirls in a cappuccino, Vance’s skill and wonderful attitude has been working at Café Mono since August 2012, and she said she loves being near the beach and serving the friendly customers who stop by for coffee. “It’s a really good vibe around here. I really love it,” Vance said. “I really like our coffee. I love how we make it and how we’re all knowledgeable about it and how we just want to make a good cup of coffee for all these good people that come in. We want to make them happy. We want to wake them up.” In her free time, Vance said she likes to run, compete in marathons and care for her dog. Vance is training for the Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon in June, which will be her first full marathon. “I’ve done a few half-marathons, and I’ve done the Spartan Race and the Tough Mudder, but I’ve never done a full marathon before, so it’s a little intimidating,” Vance said. After work and before playing with her dog, Vance runs for a few hours to prepare for the race. She totals about 30 miles each week, but said she should be doing more since it’s just a few months away. Between working and training, Vance said she doesn’t have much free time, but really enjoys what she does. “People come in the morning and the need their cup of coffee. It’s a really good feeling to know that I made a little bit of a difference in someone’s life, at least just a little bit,” Vance said.