Weekend gatherings of neighbors, friends (and a few total strangers) at a Starbucks coffee house in Minneapolis set the stage for a major career transition for Lynne Montague-Clouse from a healthcare insurance marketing consultant to an entrepreneur and owner-manager of Quotations Coffee House in Brevard.  But the road to success has not been without some bumps.

"I had been thinking seriously about a career change from corporate life for some time, and my husband, Jon, and I had decided that we wanted to move to a warmer climate and a small, friendly town," Lynne says.  We began researching locations, visited Brevard, and it was love at first sight."

Lynne and Jon began building a vacation home in Connestee Falls in 2003 and Lynne continued her search for a small business opportunity.  "During one of our Sunday visits to Starbucks back home, it suddenly struck me that owning and operating a coffee shop and 'community meeting house' was what I really wanted to do.  When I saw that there was a great opportunity for such a shop in Brevard, the whole concept came together for me."

Turning that concept into reality has not been without problems, and Lynne is candid about describing the challenges she has faced.  "First of all, it has taken much longer than we planned to reach a financial break-even.  Second, the food service business is very demanding on both management and staff - long hours and 7-day weeks are the norm.  Third, it's difficult to find and keep good employees.  I had planned to bring in a partner, but it took me two years to find the right person." 

That person is Sandra Novack, who moved to Brevard in 2007.  Sandra is a culinary arts graduate and has extensive experience in food service management.  "Lynne has built a strong team at Quotations, and our quality and service are excellent.  I think our future is very bright," Sandra says.

Although her days are filled with business duties, Lynne devotes time to community service.  She served as Chairman of the County's United Way fund drive in 2006 and is an active member of the Pisgah Forest Rotary Club.

Quotations is located at 147 East Main Street, in the Hollingsworth building, and is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 AM to 7:00 PM and Saturday from 8:00 AM to 6 PM.  For more information, call 883-8966 or visit www.quotationscoffee.com.