Genske’s dream comes true at The Daily Drip
Chloe Genske always said she would have her own business, but even she didn’t think it would happen at 18.
In July, she opened The Daily Drip Coffeehouse, formerly Beans and Books Espresso, at 215 N. Main St., Unit B.
“When I was younger, I always knew I would own some type of business,” she said. “I just didn’t know what that looked like. I planned to go to school for aesthetics, and then the opportunity of buying the coffee shop came up, which I always wanted to do, but I figured that would happen years down the road, not right now.”
She decided the time was now. She was mature enough and was responsible financially. She also had advice from her parents, Michael and Brandie Genske.
“They were really supportive,” Genske said. “They have helped me with wisdom along the way, and they’re very happy and proud of me.”
She is the youngest of three children, after her brothers, Noah and Dalton. Genske and her parents moved to Shawano from Black Creek about four years ago.
Genske knew owning the coffeehouse would be a lot of work, and she was prepared for it.
“Aside from my baristas behind the counter, it’s a one-man job. I do it all,” she said.
Open hours are from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Every day is different for Genske, and duties can include ordering inventory, picking up inventory or supplies, scheduling staff, and working a shift behind the counter, although that happens nearly every day.
“My favorite thing about this job and just owning it, I have two things,” she said. “I love the customer connections that I get and the regulars I see every day. My other favorite from owning it is being able to be creative and create the new drinks or be creative in the way I build my team up. Social media is something for me that I can be creative in, and it’s enjoyable for me.”
Among her latest and popular drink creations are the peach cobbler lotus, the caramel apple chai and the pumpkin roll latte.
She hopes to have new specials like these every month or so.
Her favorite drink?
“It depends on the day and the time of day,” she said.
One of her go-to drinks is an iced latte with various flavors.
Of course, there are always duties that aren’t so much fun.
“If I’m being honest, probably hauling milk,” she said about the job she likes the least. “It’s time consuming. Getting milk from the store to the shop … usually once or twice a week … multiple milk crates.”
As much as possible, she likes to keep her business-to-business connections local, like with her shop merchandise.
“I got the sweatshirts from A New Lease, and Dotcom Branding printed my T-shirts,” she said. “I love to use local. That way when people purchase from me, they’re also supporting someone else local.”
The Daily Drip offers bakery items from Molly’s Meadow in Bonduel and lunch items from Hungry Bear Cafe and Catering, also from Bonduel.
Genske employs four baristas. In the past three months, she has seen a pretty even split between customers who get the food and drinks to go and those who sit down at one of the tables, enjoy their food and drink, play games or puzzles, talk or work.
Genske was homeschooled and already had two part-time jobs when she first started working as a barista at Beans & Books.
“I was at the Green Bay Street location, and I was hanging out with a friend. Karen (Benishek) asked me if I wanted a job. I didn’t even know who she was. She just offered me a job,” Genske said. “I had no idea how to even brew a pot of coffee.
“They offered me an administrative assistant job, so I worked under that for about a year.”
One of her creations at Beans and Books Espresso was the Silent Book Club, which she has carried over to The Daily Drip. Silent Book Club is held from 6-7:30 p.m. the first Wednesday of each month.
There is no assigned reading, and all readers are welcome. Ebooks, audiobooks, textbooks, comic books — it’s bring your own book. Friends and strangers gather at our shop, some order food or drinks, share what they’re reading, and settle in for an hour of silent, reading. At the end of the hour, attendees can socialize — or not.
A full menu, drink updates, book club information and more can be found on the website https://thedailydripcoffeehouse.com/home and the business’ Facebook page.