LA MESA WELCOMES NEW COFFEE SHOP: PINK ROSE CAFE

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By Angela Kurysh

May 11, 2021 (La Mesa) – “You can never have too much pink,” said Nadia Zamora, who finally opens up her coffee shop, Pink Rose Cafe on La Mesa Boulevard this week.

After working on this project for over 14 months amid pandemic lockdowns and a riot, Zamora and her husband were ready to peacefully give up, but with the constant support of the community and the mission behind their business, Pink Rose Cafe will be launching its new spot with a ribbon cutting ceremony this Wednesday, May 12, at 10:30am; the official grand opening will be Saturday, May 15, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Covered in pink walls, flowers, signs and decor, this place is hard to miss when walking down La Mesa Blvd. Despite not having an actual sign yet, this cafe is definitely eye-catching because of how pink it is. Aside from being a very trendy and cute place, according to Zamora, her main goal for her business is to create a safe place and platform for women to come together and be empowered. She said, “My goal with this place is to do workshops, charities, and then being an immigrant Latina, I think it is really important for younger generations to see women of minorities as business owners.”

Several obstacles throughout the process discouraged the couple, but with the support of neighboring vendors and community members, they managed to persevere. Zamora noted, “All the vendors, the community here and the merchants have just been so helpful and empowering,” she added, “And honestly, I think if I was in a different community where we didn't have the same support, we wouldn't have made it through. We honestly would not have made it through.”

After experiencing the effects of the riots that occurred in La Mesa last winter, Zamora said she never wanted to go down La Mesa Blvd ever again. “Aside from having to clean everything back up and start from the ground up, for me, it was the emotional side of it.” She continued, “Having to come down here the night of the riots and experiencing such a horrifying scene, such hate and violence within the city was such a tragedy and I went into a depression.”

Things started to take a positive turn when Nadia received an award and surprise of $5,000 from the La Mesa Chamber of Commerce and Union Bank, which helped her replace the tools and supplies that were previously stolen from her shop. Five months later, her store is finally operating.

Zamora is always thrilled to see people lining up to try her products as well as taking many pictures of her pinked-out spot, but more importantly she loves waking up every day to do what she loves most.

“Coming from Mexican culture, we love to get together and host. We love to feel that warm embrace of others, so being able to do that on a bigger scale and getting to know people is wonderful.” She then added, “Yes, we're in it to make money, obviously as a business owner, but customer service, going above and beyond and making good relationships with people is what I want us to be known for.”

As for the future of Pink Rose Cafe, Zamora hopes to bring her products and experience to farmer’s markets soon and eventually expand to another location. With the official grand opening launching this Saturday, the cafe predicts to see over 400 customers and hopes this will kick-start the success of their business.

“I'm very grateful to get the opportunity to serve the community, to serve girls, and to serve people of all ages, so come in, give us a try and I promise you will have an excellent experience,” said Zamora.

The cafe offers a range of coffees teas and pastries, include a house specialty -- pink rose latte.

Pink Rose Cafe is located at 8209 La Mesa Blvd. and operates Monday-Thursday from 7a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday-Saturday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.on Sundays.

 

Update:  Photo below  by Sandy Small of La Mesa Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting on May 12 to welcome Pink Rose Cafe

 


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