Not much has changed in the two-plus months that Sunni and Jesse Nelson purchased Shave & Flave and Jo’s Coffee Shack, the shaved ice and coffee shop combo established four years ago.
They took over the space at 194 Old Highway 66 on Sept. 1 from Philip and Amanda Moreland and still sell the standards — shaved ice, coffee, pastries and Gus’ Pretzels..
The Nelsons don’t have a background in shaved ice or frappes. They both come from the EMS world, where Sunni is a former EMT and Jesse is currently a paramedic.
With some assistance from the Morelands and Crystal Ray, the former owner of Our Story Coffe House, both Sunni and Jesse have successfully launched careers as baristas and they have big plans.
“My dream has been to own a bakery,” said Sunni, who was a stay at home mom prior to moving behind the counter and said she’s been baking since she could stand. “This is an opportunity to get into that.”
The current space isn’t outfitted for a commercial kitchen and Sunni said they are keeping their options open for a future landing spot. They’ve discussed a food truck or a space to serve breakfast, which Bourbon currently lacks.
One of the changes coming soon will be the switch to Chauvin Coffee.
The coffee wholesaler is based out of St. Louis and was the vendor for Our Story.
“We had a lot of people mention to us that they would like to see it back,” Sunni said.
They are currently in the process of switching over.
During a recent tour of the company, they were given lattes to taste.
Sunni said she is not a big coffee drinker, but Jesse is.
“He tasted it and could tell the difference,” she said. “I had an espresso and could tell the difference between Chauvin and our current brew. It was very smooth. I could drink it straight.”
