“My mom loved coffee. Starting when I was 7 or 8, I would make her a cup every morning. Back then, we had Folgers instant. I’d heat up the water in the microwave and mix it in.

“Growing up, we always had coffee brewing. Coffee reminds me of family getting together, relaxing, enjoying desserts, and visiting during the holidays. Because of all that, I’ve always wanted a coffee shop. And I wanted us to bring that sense of home and family to it. 

“My mom got sick when I was a senior in high school. She was a smoker. It was lung cancer. It happened so quickly, within 6 or 7 months. She passed away when I was 18. It was really hard. When we opened this shop, I wanted to do something to keep her memory alive.

“Along with coffee, my mom loved redbirds. To her, they represented Christmas, and a time of happiness and joy. We named this place after our two daughters, Julianna and Haylee. But the little bird over the coffee cup in our sign is in honor of my mom. It’s like a mama bird watching over her babies.

“She loved to bake. Holidays were very special to her. She made every holiday so special for everyone else to enjoy. We want to share that spirit, that feeling, with our customers.”

— Sally Rofrano (with her husband, David)

The couple own J & H Coffee House / Sno-Cone Express in Baytown.

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The post Her mother’s memory lives on in coffee shop appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“One day we were driving and he said, ‘Mom, I want to help the homeless people.’ I figured he’d forget about it, so I kind of brushed it off.

A month went by and he said, ‘Do you not remember what I told you? I want to help the homeless people, but you haven’t done anything about it.’ So I said, ‘Why don’t you do something about it.’ He had this money jug, and he said he could save the money and I could help the homeless.

He’s always been a giver. But for him to say, hey, take my money and do this, it blew me away. I told him to write a note and we’d put it on a donation box at the coffee shop. The next thing you know, our customers were bringing in stuff and putting it in the box.

He knew that my husband was passionate about helping people. So right after he died, Oscar kind of took the initiative to do something. I asked him why, and he said, ‘I just really want to make my dad proud. Dad always taught us how to give and help other people. He’s not here, so I want to do it.’

“We’ve had incredible support. One of the things we did was fill over 100 care boxes with items people donated and other things we bought with the money Oscar raised. I would keep five or so boxes in the car so that every time we would see a homeless person, he would say, ‘Look, there’s somebody. Let’s give it to him.’ I would roll down the window and he would give the box to the person. I’m so proud of him. His father would be, too.”

— Samantha Payton

Samantha runs Payton’s Blend coffee shop in Baytown. After her husband died of a heart attack in February, their son, Oscar Jr., has helped carry on a tradition of helping those less fortunate.

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The post Helping homeless comes natural for Oscar Jr. appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“My husband had a very persistent attitude. He never wanted to give up. He always said, ‘A winner never quits and a quitter never wins.’

“We stood by that. There were days when we were tired and didn’t know how we were going to make it. But we took one step at a time and one day at a time, with lots of prayer.

“He was a man of prayer and a man of faith. I think that’s what really kept us going. When we were tired and weary he would say, ‘It’s the last lap. You have to get up. You have to keep going. You have to push yourself through every circumstance if you want to win the race.’

“Now that he’s gone, there are times when I feel like this is too much to handle. But I know there’s a vision and a mission to where we’re heading. And I think that’s what keeps us going here.”

— Samantha Payton

Following the death of her husband, Oscar, to a heart attack this year, Samantha has continued to run Payton’s Blend coffee shop in Baytown. She and her son, Oscar Jr., honor her husband’s goal of helping others in the community.

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The post Persistence pays off for coffee shop owner appeared first on The Baytown Project.