BARNARDSVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Emily Timgren is the 24-year-old owner and operator of Quinn Wren Coffee, Barnardsville’s one-and-only specialty coffee shop.
While Quinn Wren beans are supplied by High Noon Coffee Roasters, Timgren makes her own syrups and mixes her own recipes for specialty espresso drinks in-house, which she offers through delivery, pick-up at her home and pop-up events around her rural community.
“I’m not really selling to people yet,” Timgren clarified. “I’m offering samples. Just to kind of get my name out there.”
Quinn Wre-gulars
Even so, Timgren has already built up a robust clientele of nearly a dozen regulars. Even more impressive, she can recall all of their usual orders without a moment’s hesitation.
After we discovered a mutual Barnardsville connection, Timgren immediately rattled off their order – and their mom’s, too.
“Love her. She gets the sea salt maple latte with oat milk,” Timgren said. “Or, last time, she got the almond croissant latte with oat milk.”
Another customer, a mother of three, always wants a shot of espresso “per kid.”
Timgren prides herself on attention to detail, from her customers’ drinks of choice to her homemade syrups. The barista keeps around 16 different syrups in her repertoire, plus special “fun” flavors she uses for limited edition lattes.
For instance, this fall, Timgren developed two Halloween flavors, which were available from Oct. 24-31: “Cookies ‘n Scream,” which was an Oreo latte with red cold foam, and “Jack o’ Latte,” a pumpkin-flavored drink with a hand-drawn pumpkin on every cup.
“I like coming up with new things. My whole family’s very creative, so I think that’s where I get it from,” Timgren reflected. “I especially get it from my mom, ’cause she’s very creative and she’s very detail-oriented, too.”
Family business
Timgren has a close relationship with her family. Her shop is named after her infant daughter, Wrenlee, and her younger sister, Quinn, in the tradition of her parents, who operate a farm of the same name.
“It’s all one family thing,” Timgren smiled.
At the same time, her burgeoning business isn’t without its challenges, chief among them balancing motherhood with incoming orders.
“Like, my name’s out there,” Timgren said. “I can’t just say, ‘No, sorry, I was just playing! Just kidding!’ It’s definitely like I have to. I want to uphold and I want to get it out there. I want to take care of people, I want to make a name for myself and this is how I’m going to make my name for myself.”
Building for Barnardsville
Timgren was gifted a trailer by an encouraging member of the community she is the process of renovating. She has also received permission to set up a stand across from Barnardsville community hubs, such as D&D Restaurant and Grocery, and has obtained her business license. Slowly but surely, Quinn Wren is becoming bigger and bigger.
However, Timgren is keeping her focus on Barnardsville.
“I just want to give to my community. My community has done so much for me,” Timgren said. “I really want to stay focused on Barnardsville because that’s where I’ve came up at and that’s where I’ve had so much support.
“Now, if someone wants me to do an event for them, of course I’ll take that in consideration. I’d love to do events for other people. Like, I have people from Marshall, Weaverville that have reached out to me and asked me to do events with them. But Barnardsville is my home.”
For the latest information about Quinn Wren Coffee, including new flavors and pop-up announcements, follow Timgren on Facebook or Instagram.