Meet Landon Forgette | Owner, coffee & art enthusiast

We had the good fortune of connecting with Landon Forgette and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Landon, what do you attribute your success to?
It seems obvious, but empathy is the most important factor behind the business and it’s success. I rarely think about what I think I would like, and instead think about how a customer would feel. Does the customer feel welcome walking into the store? Do they feel like they would want to return? If I change the menu, how well would it read to the customer behind the counter? If I add an item or remove an item, how will that affect the new and the existing customers. Do my employees make the customer feel like they are there to help them if they need it?

Empathy is also important to handling problems that arise with my team. It’s easy to get angry when an employee is late or makes a misstep, but I believe that it works out better and it’s easier to correct behaviors that need correcting, when an employee knows that their is an understanding behind the correction. Obviously this has to be limited and treated in a professional manner, but I find that my employees care about their job, and therefor the customer and the business, when the employee knows that you care for them on a professional level.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We are a locally owned coffee shop that loves to work with local businesses, artists, and musicians to help support the local community. We also have hemp based additives that we use to make house specialties such as the Davy Jones and the Wavy Jones.

I believe we are still here due to pure grit & having a great local community supporting us through the pandemic.

We opened for business on March 1st, 2020 and shut down a little over a week later when the pandemic began. It has been one of, if not the, most challenging endeavors I have ever undertaken, but I also believe that it helped me by forcing me to confront most problems a business could ever have up front. The fact that we’ve made it through the worst of times, helps me know that we can flourish during the better times.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
To be honest, I moved to DFW from the PNW less than a year before the pandemic, and did not have time to experience all it has to offer before the pandemic began, so I do not know all of what this wonderful place has to offer. I can say that I would take a friend to Round 1 for an awesome arcade experience and then maybe to Lake Lewisville for some outdoor fun & then to the Sweet Tooth Hotel for some art.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I could never have done this without the support of Katelyn Barr and Aaron Forgette, so I a special thank you to the both of them.

I would also like to thank the local Lewisville community. There are a ton of great local regulars that come in as well as a ton of local businesses in the local community of North Dallas and Denton that have helped the business grow. I would like to specifically thank: Catie Cohen of Demeter’s Kitchen, Jose May who did all of my awesome Murals in the shop, Patrick Morrow of This Little Bean of Mine, who roasts and provides some of the best I’ve found anywhere, Ashlee Butler who introduced me to Mollie Guerra of Chef Mollie G, & all of my regular (and not so regular) customers. Lastly I’d like to thank my employees Azlyn, Cydney, & James for sticking it out during such a rough few years.

Website: www.coralreefcoffeeco.com

Instagram: @coralreefcoffeeco

Twitter: @coralreefcoffee

Facebook: @coralreefcoffeeco