visions espresso service seattle washington coffee warehouse retail equipment sprudge

Wind the clock backย 30ย years and Seattleโ€™s coffee landscape looked something like this: a handful of neighborhood cafes were in business along with Starbucks and Stewart Brothers (later to become Seattleโ€™s Best), Monorail Espresso was pulling shots from the cityโ€™s first coffee cart, Kent Bakke had imported a handful of La Marzocco espresso machines to Seattle cafes, and Visions Espresso Service was born. The two decades to follow would solidify Seattle as an important player in American specialty coffee, and early pioneers including Visions helped the city become a catalyst for specialty coffee in the States.

visions espresso service seattle washington coffee warehouse retail equipment sprudge

Fast forward to 2016 and youโ€™ll find the commercial and home espresso machine, equipment, and parts supplier founded by Dawn Loraas going strong in itsย Seattle warehouse. Visions introduced aย shiny new showroom at the front of itsย 9,000-square-foot space last February under the watchful eye of Michael “Panda” Fernandez, the companyโ€™s savvy new New York-based marketing manager (and a onetime Sprudge contributor).

visions espresso service seattle washington coffee warehouse retail equipment sprudge

Visions does a brisk online and wholesale business, and in an economy increasingly centered on e-commerce, dedicating resources to a revamped brick-and-mortar space is a bold move. Fernandez says the decision to invest inย remodeling a physical showroom was an intentional choice to extend hospitality to customers. โ€œSure there are a lot of folks that do the majority of their shopping online, myself included,โ€ heย says. โ€œBut there’s something about being able to go to a space and engage with a team that is passionate about what they do in every way. It’s energizing for the consumer and it fosters loyalty in what we offer.โ€

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visions espresso service seattle washington coffee warehouse retail equipment sprudge

Visions HQ fits in with its changing neighborhood, SoDo. The company has been operating out of the burgeoning industrial area since 2004. With winemakers, distillers, and a flashy new Filson store for the lumbersexual set, Fernandez says foot traffic is on the rise. โ€œYou can come in and we can make you a cup of coffee or we can talk about brewers and you can feel welcome and get that service,โ€ heย adds.

visions espresso service seattle washington coffee warehouse retail equipment sprudge

There are a lot of moving parts to Visions, including resale and wholesale programs for espresso machines, a coffee education lab, an online store selling grinders, brewers, and miscellaneous equipment like cleaning brushes, filters, cup printing services, and a 24/7 service department working domestically and internationally, with team members zipping around Washington state in a fleet of branded Priuses. Staff maintain a meticulously organized parts library in the back of the warehouse.

visions espresso service seattle washington coffee warehouse retail equipment sprudge

The new showroom includes gear and live machines for demoing from Synesso, Mavam, Modbar, Slayer, and more; a new retail wall; and a couple of shelves for its “Visions in Focus” program selling whole beans from Northwest and out-of-town roasters.

visions espresso service seattle washington coffee warehouse retail equipment sprudge

Fernandez says the remodel of the Visions showroom is one part of a complete company refresh. โ€œConnecting with the community has and will always remain important to us at Visions,” he says. “Our showroom and coffee education lab areย a way to connect with customers, baristas, owners, and coffee enthusiasts. We’ve also put a lot of time into relaunching our website and creating public education and training courses, as well as showcasing out-of-town and local roasters in our showroom,โ€ Fernandez says.

visions espresso service seattle washington coffee warehouse retail equipment sprudge

Home enthusiasts and professional baristas are welcomed at brewing and milk-art classes in the coffee education lab down the hall from the showroom. The tricked-out space has been booked for baristas training for competition; Fernandez namechecks 2015 Northwest Barista Champion Sam Schroeder and Maxwell Mooney as โ€œreally cool baristasโ€ whoย have clocked time in the lab.

visions espresso service seattle washington coffee warehouse retail equipment sprudge

Fernandez willย focus next on amping up social media, representing Visions at coffee events, and promoting the companyโ€™s brand on the East Coast, where itโ€™s less of a household name. โ€œHaving a bicoastal presence is pretty huge. We’re able to personally introduce our brand to a whole new group of folks,โ€ heย says. โ€œWith the advent of social media and digital marketing, we needed to change our approach. I like to say that I’m responsible for reminding people of how awesome we are.โ€

Visions Espresso Service is located atย 2737 1st Avenue South, Seattle. Visit their official website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Sara Billups (@hellobillups)ย is a freelance journalist based in Seattle.ย Read more Sara Billups on Sprudge.

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